The Cost of Love ReMastered
by BillAtWork
Summary: This is not totally new. It's improved. Following their engagement in Fake Relationship, Chuck and Sarah realize that they have different views of some key things. Things they have to work out to be married happily. Rated M for Adult language and situations.
1. Happy Anniversary

_This is not an original story. It was written during the middle of season 2. The original story assumed a sequel that never happened. So there will be some brand new content in this rewrite and several brand new chapters at the end with an entirely different ending._

_Warning: There is a lot of adult content in this. This story was a sequel to The Fake Relationship. If you read the original, this is going to have a different feel. It's more of a re-write than a simple re-mastering. It is basically the story of Chuck and Sarah figuring out how the dual nature of their relationship, and especially their marriage, is going to work. They are simply different people, have different perspectives on things like sex, duty, and sacrifice that need to be reconciled. Both will come to realize that in order for them to be happy together, there is some middle ground that needs to be found. For now, I'm going to leave it T. But the adult situations and language may soon change it to M._

_A word to the wise. If you're one of those people who can't bear the thought that Sarah wasn't a virgin when she met Chuck or that she would ever use sex on a mission, you probably didn't like the original very much. I predict that you'll like the frankness of this retelling even less. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that. But knowing that, please give this a pass. I'm not up for a bunch of cowardly anonymous reviews calling Sarah a CIA whore. If it makes a difference, there is a line that I've never crossed. And I also won't cross it here._

_Shippers, be warned. This story does not start out very happily. But it's not how the story starts that matters, it's how it ends. So if you're looking for fluff, there will be plenty but you'll have to maybe give it a chance and struggle through the beginning. I promise it'll all work out as it usually does. If it helps, there will never be a question for a single second if C/S love each other in any of my stories. This one is no exception._

_I still don't own Chuck._

_If you enjoyed this or any of the stories on this site, please take a second and send the author a review. It only takes a second – and it really, really makes a difference. That's probably more important than ever now that the series has ended. If you want to keep the Chuck fandom alive and continue to read about these characters, you really need to think about rewarding the people whose hard work make that possible._

**Happy Anniversary**

x-x-x-x-x

Pastor Bob sat at the table in his office deep in thought. He paused to take a sip of his coffee, more to give him time to form his response than because he was thirsty. "I have to say," he finally said sheepishly. "I've never had a pre-marriage counseling session quite like this. I have to tell you, Sarah, I'm with Chuck on this one. Marriage is a solemn promise, a lifetime commitment. And the promise to be faithful to each other is the key symbol of that promise. Having sex with other men, no matter how good you think the reason is, violates that promise in a pretty basic way."

Sarah glanced over to where Chuck was sitting there suddenly grinning. "Why?" she insisted softly. "Yes, I understand that if I picked up a guy in a bar, if I enjoyed it in any way that would be a betrayal. This is different."

"How is it different?" Bob asked. "The seventh commandment says 'Thou shalt not commit adultery'."

"Of course," Sarah said. "But doesn't the sixth commandment say 'Thou shalt not kill'? We wouldn't say that a soldier in the middle of a wartime battle using the rifle he's been trained to use violates that commandment, would we?"

"Of course not," Bob replied.

"Well, I'm a soldier," Sarah said calmly. "We're in the middle of a very real war. And sex is one of the main weapons I've been trained to use. If Chuck was in the army and got shipped to Iraq and was forced to kill people, I certainly wouldn't like that. I would worry that it would affect him, hurt him, change him somehow. But I couldn't claim that he violated our marriage vows, could I? I knew that he was in the army and that this was a distinct possibility before I married him. I'd try and be there for him in any way that I could, including not trying to make him feel guilty about it. Why is this any different?"

Bob sat deep in thought for a long time. "I understand your point," he said. "It's valid. But I still think this is different. Sex is the most intimate thing two people can share. It's reserved for husbands and wives. It was never meant to be a weapon."

"Look," Sarah said. She was perhaps technically speaking to Bob, but her words were clearly directed at Chuck, whose smile had considerably faded. "The very last thing I would ever want is to cause Chuck any pain. And I understand that what we're talking about would definitely do that. So I can't imagine it happening unless he was in imminent danger and I had absolutely no choice. And if it did ever happen, I would make every effort to be there for him and get him through it. It would be hard for me too. I never want to see him in pain. I honestly love him… more than I can possibly explain using words. I would feel horrible to ever make him question that in any way. I'm not at all happy even having to have this conversation and putting those unpleasant thoughts in his head. But having said all that, if it ever happened, it would be because I was desperately trying to protect him. I think that Chuck should recognize it for what it is, that it's not a betrayal, and be there for me as well. That's what I expect from him… because he loves me. Am I really asking for too much?"

"I think that's up to Chuck," Bob replied. "He is the only one who can answer that. But there is one thing that I am convinced of. You shouldn't get married until you've worked this out."

x-x-x-x-x

Chuck was sitting in his normal spot at the Nerd Herd desk. Normal, it felt so good to get back to normal. Even the word sounded so good. Normal. Well, at least as normal as the stupid super computer in his brain would ever allow. Today was the first day that Sarah was able to return to work. Her ankle was still a little sore but the limp was almost imperceptible. That was one of the advantages to really being in great shape. She was a very quick healer. And while the past five days he had spent taking care of her had been fantastic, Chuck was really looking forward to getting back into a routine.

Chuck's life had never been better, even during the glory days at Stanford. He was now officially an agent. He was getting paid an obscenely large amount of money. Oh, and the best part, the woman of his dreams was wearing his engagement ring. Wow. After work today they were going apartment hunting. Sarah's place was much too small for the two of them. Not that they had been using the space anyway, having spent most of the past five days in bed. But it would be nice to have a legitimate space, a place to call home with a real kitchen. Tomorrow they were going over to Ellie's to plan the wedding. Yup, life was good. Chuck was so intent in his daydreaming that, at first, he didn't notice Lester and Jeff staring intently at him.

"So," Lester finally said while shaking his head sadly. "Let me get this straight."

"Good morning, Lester," Chuck said with the surprise plain in his voice. "Get what straight?"

"Well first off, you're going out with the most beautiful woman that any of us has ever seen," Lester began as he held up a single finger.

Chuck thought about it for a second. She was definitely beautiful, the most beautiful woman Chuck had ever seen. He just wasn't sure he was totally comfortable with these guys thinking about her in that way. But you can only control so many things. "She is beautiful," he had to admit with a smile.

"Then," Lester continued as he held up a second finger. "You break up with her."

"Well, technically," Chuck protested. "She broke up with me."

"Then," Jeff chimed in, ignoring Chuck's protest as he held up three fingers of his own. "You start dating the new girl who happens to also be super hot. This Becky Ivan chick makes absolutely no attempt to hide the fact that she's throwing herself at you and even promises to not 'buck you off', whatever that means."

Chuck's face began to involuntarily spout a broader smile as he listened to them rant.

"Then," Lester said with his voice growing louder as he held up four fingers. "You dump this hot chick and she's so broken up about it that she moves back to Texas."

Chuck simply shrugged his shoulders as his smile turned into a grin.

"And now," Lester said as his voice shook in disbelief and he held up his open hand. "You're engaged to the original, most beautiful girl we've ever seen."

"It's been a busy couple of weeks," Chuck said with a nod. "That's for sure."

"You suck," Lester said with a large measure of disgust. "What is it with you? Did you learn some Jedi mind control technique?"

"Can you teach us?" Jeff asked hopefully.

"Come on guys," Chuck said with a laugh. "You don't need anybody to teach you. Jeff, just be yourself. That's what women want."

"Yeah," Jeff said slowly as he and Lester walked away. "We've tried that. It doesn't work."

Chuck shook his head and gently laughed as his gaze followed Jeff and Lester as they retreated. Just as they disappeared from sight, Chuck locked eyes with a customer that Morgan was showing some big screen TVs. That's when the Flash hit. He could see a CIA personnel data sheet.

_Name: Seth Roberts_

_DOB: 08/03/1978_

_Height: 6' 0"_

_Weight: 220lbs_

_Hair: Brown_

_Eyes: Blue_

_CIA position: Field Operations - Undercover Agent_

_Security Clearance: Top Secret_

_Last Known Assignment: Iraqi Counter Insurgency _

_Current Status: Defected to Fulcrum in 2006._

_Marital Status: Married _

_Next of Kin: CIA Agent **Sarah Walker - Spouse**_

x-x-x-x-x

Chuck had to grab the desk to keep from falling. This guy was married? To Sarah? What was going on? This had to be a mistake. How could Sarah possibly be married? Was it a cover thing? Maybe they were on a mission together. After taking a minute to gather his composure, Chuck quickly walked over to where Casey was talking to a customer about a Washer and Dryer.

"Not now, Bartowski," Casey growled under his breath. "I need to make my sales numbers to keep this stupid job."

"Now," Chuck whispered with the panic evident in his voice.

One look at Chuck's face told Casey that something was very wrong.

"I'll be right back," Casey quickly told the customer. He led Chuck to a quite spot. That was pretty easy to find. The store was mostly empty.

"Okay, Bartowski," Casey said in a soft growl. "You look like you just saw a ghost. What's wrong?"

"I think maybe I just did see a ghost," Chuck said. "See the guy looking at TVs with Morgan?"

"Tan slacks?" asked Casey as he looked over the man that Chuck had indicated.

"He's Fulcrum," Chuck said as he nodded. "His name is Seth Roberts."

If Casey was flippant before, he immediately snapped into agent mode as his face showed alarm. He quickly glanced around the room for possible threats. "Take a look at the other customers," he said softly. "See if you flash on anyone else. Hopefully he's alone."

Chuck took a moment to look at the other customers in the store. Since it was a Monday morning, there were only a handful of customers. It only took a few seconds to look at everyone. "It looks like he's alone," he said.

Casey noticed that Chuck was beginning to shake visibly. "Chuck," he said with his voice lowered but firmly. "Calm down. You're going to tip him off. I need you to go over to the Orange Orange and tell Walker the situation. I'm going to try and follow our new friend to see if I can figure out what he's up to. I'll meet you two back there when I'm done and we'll talk to Washington. Are you clear?"

Chuck nervously nodded.

"Okay," Casey growled. "Get moving."

x-x-x-x-x

Sarah didn't quite share Chuck's enthusiasm for getting back into their normal routine. She was honestly having too much fun experimenting to see how hot she could make her new fiancé to be happy about being back here and resuming her role as the object of a thousand teenaged boy's fantasies. Especially since the clear consensus of her experimentation was that she could quickly get him pretty damn smoking hot… almost on demand. But no matter, her face still automatically lit up like a Christmas tree as soon as she saw him come through the door. "Chuck," she said with a bounce as she hurried as quickly as her still slightly sore ankle would allow her to get to Chuck and hug him. "What a nice surprise. I didn't expect you until lunch time."

Sarah could immediately tell from the look on Chuck's face that something wasn't right. "Sweetie," she said as she grabbed his hand protectively. "What's wrong?"

Chuck tried to calm down. There was no sense in worrying her. But he just couldn't get the nervousness out of his voice. "I just flashed on a Fulcrum agent at the Buy More," he said with his voice shaky. "Casey is going to try and tail him. He says that he'll meet us back here to brief Washington."

As soon as Sarah heard the word Fulcrum, she snapped into pure agent mode. She immediately began to pull Chuck towards the secure basement. As they entered Castle, she immediately turned on the surveillance equipment and studied the bank of screens intently. She sat Chuck down in a chair in the video conference room and sat next to him. "Tell me exactly what happened," she said firmly.

"I was sitting at the Nerd Herd desk," Chuck started very shakily.

"Sweetie," Sarah interrupted softly as she grabbed his hand. "You sound really nervous. Please calm down. I really need to be an agent right now. I need you to be one too. Don't be afraid. Whatever it is, we'll deal with it just like we always do. Now, go on."

"Well, like I said, I was sitting at the desk," Chuck said slowly after trying to follow her instructions by taking a deep breath. "When I flashed on a customer that Morgan was trying to sell a TV to. I went and told Casey. I think you know the rest."

"What did you flash on?" Sarah asked softly.

"The standard stuff," Chuck said. "His last CIA assignment was a mission to aid Iraqi Counter Insurgency. I saw that he defected to Fulcrum about two years ago. I also saw his personnel file."

Sarah just nodded for Chuck to continue.

Chuck raised his head to look directly into Sarah's eye. "His name is Seth Roberts."

As soon as Chuck said his name, Sarah dropped his hand and looked down at the table. He knew Sarah well enough to tell that she was struggling to keep her composure. Chuck could see that she was biting her lip to keep from crying. "Chuck, please," she said without meeting his eye. "Now I understand why you're so nervous. I know that you have some serious questions that you have every right to get answered. I definitely owe you a full explanation but for right now you're in danger. I really need to be an agent. Please wait until we can talk about this tonight before you make any assumptions. I promise that I was going to tell you all about this. I'm so sorry that you had to find out this way. But this is not what it seems. Can I please count on you to do that for me?"

Just then Casey entered the room. "Beckman wants us to conference with her in three minutes," he said breathlessly as he plopped down in one of the chairs, obviously tired from running.

As soon as Beckman's face came on the monitor she started speaking. "This is a very serious situation," she said sharply. "We have to assume that this is a result of the Becky Ivan foolishness and that Chuck's cover is blown to Fulcrum. I think that it would be prudent to bring him in, at least until we know what is going on."

"But ma'am," Sarah said cautiously. "We're not sure what they know or what they're after. Having Chuck disappear now just might tip them off."

"Okay, Agent Walker," Beckman said with more than a touch of sarcasm. "What do you propose?"

"Casey," Sarah said as she turned to him. "Were you able to tail the suspect?"

"Yes," Casey replied with a sigh. "He is staying at the Hilton down the street. I tailed him there."

"Well ma'am," Sarah said firmly. "I have a relationship with the suspect. Let me find out what he is after and what he knows."

Chuck was trying very hard to catch Sarah's eye but she was having none of it.

"Major Casey," Beckman said forcefully. "Take Chuck back to the Buy More and finish your shift. Keep a close eye out for Mr. Roberts. Agent Bartowski, look at every face that comes in the door. If you flash on anyone notify Major Casey immediately. Do you understand?

"Yes, ma'am," Chuck and Casey replied as one.

"Good," Beckman said. "You're dismissed. I would like to speak with Agent Walker privately for a second."

"Yes, ma'am," Casey said as he got up out of his chair. "Let's go, Chuck."

"What are you going to do?" Chuck asked with concern as he turned towards Sarah.

"Do you want to go into an underground bunker for the rest of your life?" Sarah snapped angrily as she looked at Chuck for the first time.

"Of course not," Chuck replied sadly.

"Then I suggest that you follow your orders," Sarah said sharply. "For perhaps the first time ever in your career. I'll see you at home and we can talk."

At that Chuck got up without a word and followed Casey out the door. Once they were gone Beckman spoke. "Sarah," she said in a much softer tone. "I'm willing to give you forty eight hours to see what you can find out."

"Thank you ma'am," Sarah said softly.

"But Sarah," said Beckman firmly. "I have to tell you. I'm a little concerned for you here. I know what your relationship with Seth Roberts was. When push comes to shove, where are your loyalties going to be?"

"Loyalties, ma'am," Sarah asked in a confused tone. "Why would my loyalties be in question?"

"This is exactly why handlers shouldn't get involved with their assets," Beckman said. "For you to effectively exploit your relationship with Seth Roberts there are some things that you're going to have to do."

"Can you do them?"

x-x-x-x-x

Sarah stood in the hallway of the Hilton trying to compose herself. She had quickly gone home and changed out of her Orange Orange uniform. She picked out a blouse that had a generously plunging neckline and a matching skirt. She had been very careful to make sure that her makeup was perfect. That was no small task with her hands shaking as they were. She also made sure to take off her engagement ring. Finally realizing that she needed to get this over with, she took a deep breath and knocked on the door.

Seth was lying on the bed watching Sports Center when he heard the knock at the door. To say he was surprised would be understatement. He certainly wasn't expecting anyone. His hand automatically reached for the gun in the back of his slacks. _It must be housekeeping._ So he fairly cautiously walked to the door and jerked it open. His jaw dropped when he saw Sarah standing there.

"Hi, Seth," Sarah said with a shy smile.

"Sarah," Seth said in shock. "What are you doing here?"

"Is that any way to great your wife?" Sarah asked with a dazzling smile.

Sarah knew exactly what Seth would do so she wasn't at all surprised when he took her into his arms and pressed his mouth to hers fairly passionately. Sarah put her hand behind Seth's head and pulled him into the kiss. When she felt his tongue tentatively probing, she partially opened her mouth. Sarah let the kiss go on for a long moment.

Finally Seth broke the kiss. "How did you know that I was here?" he asked as he pulled back to look into Sarah's eye.

"I saw you at the plaza today," Sarah replied with a grin and she playfully kissed him again. "So I followed you. I knew that I would see you again. I've really missed you."

"I've really missed you too," Seth said with a smile as he stepped back. "You look fantastic as ever."

"You know," Sarah said softly with her most seductive smile. "Actually, last month was our anniversary. I didn't get a present. The traditional gift for the fifth year is wood."

"Well," said Seth with a huge grin of his own. "I'm thinking that you're in luck. I don't have any trees handy, but will you take a substitute?"

Sarah's grin was more because of the predictability of his response than anything. But whatever the reason it matched Seth's as she looked down and saw him begin to unbutton her blouse.

x-x-x-x-x


	2. Deception

_This is not an original story. It was written during the middle of season 2. The original story assumed a sequel that never happened. So there will be some brand new content in this rewrite and several new chapters at the end._

_I'd like to respond to a theme expressed in several reviews of the first chapter. First off, I appreciate the feedback. As long as you sign your review and give me the opportunity to respond, I really don't have a problem with anything you say. But I am a little bemused at how little slack some of you are willing to give Sarah here._

_Sarah is not a normal girl next door that Chuck met at work, dated for a while, and fell in love with. Sarah is who she is. Chuck knew what he was getting with her from basically the first day. Sarah has a troubled background, came to be how she is through some unfortunate circumstance, but now is fully a spy with blinders on, tasked with protecting the man that she also happens to inexplicitly find herself fiercely in love with in a desperate, desperate situation. And in that pursuit, absolutely nothing is off the table. She has a lot of weapons in her holster. She'll fight, kill in cold blood, lie, flirt, and, yes, if it was ever absolutely required screw. Things like morality are a luxury she's been taught that she simply can't afford. She is not in any way cheating on Chuck. Even he wouldn't say that. Yes, they disagree sometimes on priorities and tactics. He struggles a lot more with some of this than she does. She's been trained and he hasn't. But she doesn't enjoy it one single bit more than he does._

_This story is basically about Sarah's evolution from half wife / half bodyguard to mostly wife / just a little bodyguard. Right now, she simply can't understand why Chuck doesn't understand, suck it up, and be more supportive. One thing that will change in this rewrite is that Chuck is not going to be bashful about telling Sarah when he disagrees with her. And he is going to disagree some. But they are going to talk frankly, sometimes shout at each other, and sometimes agree to disagree. Sarah is going to grow. Over time she'll come to realize that protecting Chuck emotionally is just as important as protecting him physically, and discover in horror that she's been dropping that ball. For Chuck's part, he'll come to realize what it is that he has and come to cherish it at an entirely different level. That growth isn't going to be completely painless, it never is. It's the romantic story that I wish the show would have told. Instead they made Chuck a spy and gave him superpowers._

_Sarah is a hero. If I was in trouble, I'd want someone like Sarah protecting me. Would I want to be married to her? I think on balance, I'd say yes. Certainly I'd struggle with some of the same things that Chuck will. But he also knows that she will do anything for him… ANYTHING. That has to count for something._

_I still don't own Chuck._

_If you enjoyed this or any of the stories on this site, please take a second and send the author a review. It only takes a second – and it really, really makes a difference. That's probably more important than ever now that the series has ended. If you want to keep the Chuck fandom alive and continue to read about these characters, you really need to think about rewarding the people whose hard work make that possible._

**Deception**

x-x-x-x-x

Sarah's smile as she looked down and saw Seth starting to unbutton her blouse was actually genuine. In fact, it took away almost all of her nervousness. One thing that she could say about her 'husband' with complete confidence even after all these years, whatever he lacked in brains, he certainly made up for in balls. Fortunately, that was something that she was counting on. It was her only hope to pull this off. "Down boy," she said with a laugh as she took a step back. "I said that I missed you. Not that I wanted to get naked."

"Come on," Seth said with the seductive smile that he was completely accustomed to being effective with women. "A husband has certain rights, you know. It has been five years, after all."

"Nice try, Seth," Sarah said still laughing as she refastened the buttons on her blouse. "We both know that you gave up those rights when you I caught you in bed with my best friend. Remember that little detail?"

"So," said Seth sadly. "You're still pissed about that? How many times do I have to say I'm sorry?"

Sarah was still amused watching Seth trying to charm his way out of this. For one thing, he had never said that he was sorry. She hadn't even spoken to him since that awkward scene. Pissed wasn't even the right word. It's funny how time passing changes your perspective. At the time Sarah was absolutely devastated. But now she had to admit, she should have saw this coming from a mile away. Now she was frankly much more embarrassed than angry. If anything, she was now angrier at Laura for betraying their friendship than she was at Seth for betraying their marriage. In fact if she missed anyone out of this deal, it was Laura. Seth had unwittingly done her a huge favor. She was an extremely loyal person. She might still be married to this moron but for that fateful afternoon. Well, actually she was technically still married to this moron, but that was just semantics. "I'm not still pissed about that," she said. "It was a long time ago. But you have to admit, you're going to need to prove to me that I can trust you before we hop into bed."

"What do I have to do?" Seth said with a seductive smile. "Whatever it is, I'll do it. You have to admit, we had some good times in bed."

That got Sarah inwardly laughing again. She had to admit, Seth was her first man. He had taught her a lot about sex. Unfortunately, he also taught her that sex was mostly an activity designed for the woman to make the man happy… and to avoid it whenever possible. Seth's idea of sex was whatever she could do to turn him on and satisfy him. And for his lack of intelligence in general, he was most creative in the bedroom thinking up things for her to try. The idea of anything in it for her… not so much. Luckily for him he was a natural at charming different women into his bed… because he surely didn't get much repeat business. It was hard for Sarah to keep a straight face. Fortunately, Seth's ego would cause him to eat this up. "We had some very good times," she said with a sparkle in her eyes. "No question about that. That's the thing I've missed the most. If you want to get back to that, I'm willing to give it a shot. But you're going to have to prove to me that I can trust you. It's not going to happen today. Or tomorrow, for that matter."

"Tell me what you need." Seth said. "If I can give it to you, I will."

This was actually going better than expected. "Well," Sarah said with a smile. "You're going to have to talk to me."

"What do you want to talk about?" Seth said seductively as he stepped up to Sarah and put his arms around her.

Sarah knew that she had better quickly set some boundaries or he wouldn't listen to a word she said. He would just keep grabbing her until she was forced to either give in, or punch him. And neither would help Chuck. Giving in sure wasn't going to happen. Punching him might be a little fun… "Okay, Seth," she said firmly as she twisted out of his grasp. "Keep it in your pants. The quick seduction thing just isn't going to fly. What we had at one time was great. And, I'll admit, I miss it. I miss you. If you want for us to get back to where we were, it has to be more than just in bed. I'm willing to give it a shot. But you need to decide how far you're willing to go."

"But you're just so hot," Seth said with a sigh. "You are honestly more beautiful now than you were when we were together. How can you blame me for wanting you right now? I've been dreaming about it for five years."

Sarah breathed a silent sigh of relief. That was more like it. "Then a few more days won't hurt, will it?" she asked with a smile as she walked to the door. "I have to go. I want you to think about something. How much do you want to try again? I'll be back tomorrow and we'll talk about us. But it can't be just sex. I need more."

"Wait," said Seth as he took Sarah's face in his hands and kissed her again. "You'll get more. I've missed you too."

"Life's too short, Seth," Sarah said softly as she walked out of the room.

x-x-x-x-x

As soon as Sarah left the hotel, she called Casey on her cell.

Casey was clearly expecting the call because he answered on the first ring. "What's your status?" he answered briskly much like he always did.

"Are you alone?" Sarah asked softly.

"Yes," Casey said. "I'm assuming that you're doing what you do. How did it go?"

How did it go? That was a tough one. To the spy, Agent Walker, it couldn't have possibly gone any better. But she would rather walk through fire than admit the current situation to her partner… and now friend. "That part is going okay," she said sadly. "But there is a major complication. It's complicated and I don't have the time or energy to explain it, but I was married to this guy once. Technically, I guess I still am."

To say that Casey was surprised didn't come close. "Does Chuck know?" was all he could find to say in his confused amazement.

"I assume so," Sarah said with a sad sigh. "He said he flashed on the personnel file. That is going to mess him up. I should have told him. I was waiting for the right time. I really didn't want him to find out this way. I just can't deal with that right now. I'm struggling enough as it is."

"I'll talk to him," Casey said in typical Casey fashion. "Just for the record, does Chuck have anything to worry about?"

That got Sarah seeing red for a moment. The funny thing was that she wasn't sure who she was angry at – Chuck, Casey, or herself. But as soon as she took a breath she realized there was only one person to blame for this mess. It was actually a legitimate question from a partner under the circumstances. It's just that she expected more somehow. "Of course not," she snapped. "Casey, you know how I feel about Chuck. I hate this guy. But he knows me. He is going to be hard to fool. It's going to take every bit of concentration that I have to pull this one off. Please make Chuck understand."

"Roger that," Casey said. "Do you have another meeting scheduled?"

"Yes," Sarah replied with a sigh. "Tomorrow afternoon."

"You need to wear a wire," Casey said firmly. "I want to monitor you. This guy is Fulcrum after all. You might get in trouble."

As angry as Sarah was just a moment ago, she was now just as grateful. Casey had just purposely changed the subject into professional spy mode to make this easier for her. "I can't risk it," she said. "I don't know where his hands are going to be. I can't have him stumbling across the wire by accident. I'll be okay. This guy really thinks he is getting in my pants. As long as I can keep him thinking that he wouldn't do anything to mess it up. Besides, if it comes to that I could take him with my hands tied behind my back, which is probably a position he will soon suggest anyway. Maybe I can plant a bug in the room."

"Where are you at right now?" Casey asked.

"I'm on my way back home," Sarah said. "Tell Chuck that I'll see him there."

"Don't worry," Casey said with an evil laugh. "You just concentrate on doing what you need to do. I'll knock some sense into our boy."

It spite of the ridiculousness of the situation, Casey's tone caused Sarah to smile as she pictured the scene. "About that," she said. "Do you think you could go a little easy on him? Please, he's had a hard day."

"Sorry, Walker," Casey said with a laugh. "I only know how to do this one way. And easy ain't it. Don't worry, he'll survive."

x-x-x-x-x

Now that he had a clear assignment Casey walked up to Chuck at the Nerd Herd desk. "Let's take a walk," he said gruffly.

Casey silently led Chuck to the employee break room. "I just talked to Walker," he said as he looked at Chuck warily. "She wanted me to talk to you. She's worried about you."

"What is she worried about?" Chuck asked sadly. "Is she afraid I'll find out that she might be going on a second honeymoon with her husband?"

"I think that she might be afraid that you misunderstand about that," Casey said sarcastically. "Here is a news flash for you, Bartowski. Women spies use sex to control men. They have since the beginning of time. It's the main weapon that they have. Walker is using it to try and save your ass. Instead of whining like a child, why don't you try being a little grateful?"

"Because it kind of makes it hard to be in love with one," Chuck replied sharply. "How do you ever know that she is just not playing you like she does her mark?"

"There is a very good way for you to know," Casey said as his eyes narrowed. "Do you know what that is?"

Chuck just shook his head.

"Because you actually have had sex," Casey said firmly. "If she was playing you she would only let you think that you might have sex, if you did everything that she wanted. But you never actually would. I'm going to assume for the sake of this argument that you have?"

One thing that Chuck had to admit, they had sex. Tons and tons of wild sex. Sarah wasn't kidding one bit when she warned him to be prepared to be seduced a lot. If that sounded like a complaint in any way, it surely wasn't. He could now see her completely naked without blushing even a tiny bit. The last few days had been a wonderful blur. "Of course," he said as his face became less tense.

"There you go," Casey replied with a sigh. "I'm telling you this because that's what she's doing with Seth Roberts. That's her training. She's letting him think that she will have sex with him if she gets her way. That is going to drive him crazy. It's going to consume his thoughts so that he will do anything she asks him, including telling her what he knows about you and the Buy More. But here's the rub. They'll never actually have sex. As a matter of fact, if she did ever have sex with him she'd lose all of her advantage. So she'll never let that happen."

"Okay" said Chuck as a small smile began to form. "I like that concept so far."

"I thought that you might," Casey said with a grimace. "In fact it almost makes you want to feel sorry for the guy. She is going to tease him until he is Mount St. Helens, ready to explode. Then once she finds out what she wants, she is going to leave him all alone with a big problem on his hands, if you get my meaning. The problem is that, in order to fool him, she's going to have to look like she might be willing to sleep with him. And to someone looking at them that didn't know what was going on, they might be fooled just like he will be. She doesn't want you to be that person. She is going to have to do some things that a normal fiancé wouldn't like."

"Like?" asked Chuck cautiously.

"Like flirting with him," Casey said with a grin. "Maybe telling him how much she wants him or kissing him with an open mouth. Perhaps letting his hands go to places they shouldn't or showing him more skin than would otherwise be appropriate. Things like that."

"But I don't like her doing any of those things," Chuck said firmly. "Maybe I'm being selfish but I want those things all to myself."

"No shit," Casey said with a small smile. "Who would like that? Nobody's saying you should like it. You're not being selfish. That is totally normal. There would be something seriously wrong if you did like it. And there's no question, if she did any of those things for real, she'd be cheating on you. She's really hoping that you trust her enough to know that she would never, ever do that to you."

Chuck just looked at Casey sadly.

"This is going to be very hard on her," Casey said softly. "Walker knows what she's doing. She is a pro, the very best that there is, bar none. But she knows this guy. And more importantly, he knows her. And that's tough. She's not trained for that. But she's doing this for one reason. For you, the man that she loves. So you need to ask yourself. Do you want her to get this guy who she can't stand to think for a day that he has a chance to sleep with her or do you want to go into an underground bunker for the rest of your life?"

"I want to trust her," Chuck said softly. "More than you'll ever know. But how can I be sure?"

Casey got really quiet for a long moment and his eyes sort of drifted into space. "Let me ask you something, Bartowski," he said softly. "Have you ever seen her cry? I'm not talking about some tears in her eyes. I'm talking broken down, out of control crying."

Chuck just shook his head and looked at the table.

"I have," Casey said so softly that Chuck had to strain to hear him.

Chuck's head snapped up to look at Casey in silent amazement.

"She's pretty tough, isn't she?" Casey asked rhetorically with a sad smile. "I've been in unbelievably horrible situations with her. We've seen dead bodies. We've seen people die in front of us. We've seen people that we care about being tortured. Things that would make me want to cry. Do you know what I mean?"

Chuck nodded his head sadly after a moments pause, surprised by Casey's admission.

"But the only time I've ever seen Walker cry is this past week," Casey continued. "When she thought that she would never see you again. When Beckman showed us Becky Ivan's video of you, she sat in my kitchen and bawled like a baby. She sobbed for an hour that she would never get to tell you how much she loves you. It must have killed her to do that in front of me and Larkin. It was one of the saddest things I've ever seen. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

Chuck nodded in response.

Suddenly Casey's voice changed. Now it was classic Casey. "So don't ask me how you can trust her," he said in a low growl. "In my mind, you are the luckiest bastard in the whole world. The question I would ask is how do you deserve to be loved as much she loves you?"

"I know," said Chuck after pausing to wipe the tears that were forming in his eyes. "So, what should I do?"

"Give her some space to do her job," Casey said with a smile in a much softer tone. "Let her know that she doesn't have to worry about you. She needs to be able to concentrate right now or she is going to be in danger."

"But, Casey," Chuck said with a distinct whine in his voice. "She's married to him. How could that be? This is too hard."

"I don't know the answer to that," Casey said softly. "That part is not a spy thing. And you deserve to have her explain it to you very soon. You absolutely do. I'm not saying anything else. If she was standing here I don't think she would deny that herself. Just don't force it tonight. She needs to know that you're willing to wait for a few days. She needs that to be safe. I'm sure that she has a good explanation. Trust her on pure faith for a couple of days. She deserves it."

"She deserves it," Chuck agreed.

"One other thing I experienced that week," Casey said, clearly trying to lighten the mood as a smile broke out on his face. "This is totally beside the point but I remember the look on Sarah's face when Bryce showed her that he had captured Becky Ivan and then she started quite literally kicking her ass around that parking lot. I'll never forget it as long as I live. You and I have fundamentally different relationships with her. That's as it should be. But I learned something that day that apply equally to both of us. Well, actually probably more to me. She's more likely to cut you some slack. But it's something that neither one of us should ever forget."

"Never, under any circumstance, ever piss her off."

x-x-x-x-x

When Chuck walked into the apartment, Sarah was standing there waiting for him. He could tell by the look on her face that she was really struggling. Chuck walked up to her and took her in his arms. Sarah immediately buried her face into Chuck's chest. "I love you so much," she said. "I need for you to know that. Those aren't just words. I really do love you. Nothing is ever going to change that."

"I know," Chuck said as he held her tight. "I love you too. And I want you to know that for the time being I'm just going to trust that you're doing the right thing. No matter how badly it looks to me, I'll wait until you're ready to talk."

"It won't be long," Sarah said. "You have every right to know every single detail. I'm just not in a spot to deal with it right now. But you can trust me. It's not what it looks like. Whatever I do, it's because I'm looking out for you. I promise."

"I know," Chuck said. "I just need you to be safe. Please tell me what I can do to help."

"You're doing it right now," Sarah said. "Thank you."

Chuck sighed as he rubbed Sarah's back gently.

"I guess normal is going to have to wait for another week."

x-x-x-x-x


	3. The Hook

_This is not an original story. It was written during the middle of season 2. The original story assumed a sequel that never happened. So there will be some brand new content in this rewrite and several new chapters at the end._

_Warning: There is a lot of adult content in this. This story was a sequel to The Fake Relationship. If you read the original, this is going to have a different feel. It's more of a re-write than a simple re-mastering. It is basically the story of Chuck and Sarah figuring out how the dual nature of their relationship, and especially their marriage, is going to work. They are simply different people, have different perspectives on things like sex, duty, and sacrifice that need to be reconciled. Both will come to realize that in order for them to be happy together, there is some middle ground that needs to be found._

_This is most likely the last T chapter. Once the story changes to an M rating, it is going to disappear for most of you since the default page only shows stories T and below._

_I still don't own Chuck._

_If you enjoyed this or any of the stories on this site, please take a second and send the author a review. It only takes a second – and it really, really makes a difference. That's probably more important than ever now that the series has ended. If you want to keep the Chuck fandom alive and continue to read about these characters, you really need to think about rewarding the people whose hard work make that possible._

**The Hook**

x-x-x-x-x

Sarah made sure that she waited for Chuck to go to work before she got ready to go see Seth. She knew that he would notice the extra effort that she would need to make herself look extra sexy. He knew where she was going today. The last thing that she wanted was to rub his face in it. As she was doing her makeup she sighed. What she wouldn't give to be able to be doing this for Chuck. He would be so appreciative. That was for sure.

The very thought put a smile on her face in spite of her dread of this mission. "How did I get so lucky?" she asked herself as she decided what outfit to wear. She knew exactly what outfit she would have worn for Chuck. The pale blue blouse had never failed to get a reaction out of him. Even when he was trying to pretend that they didn't have a future together, his eyes gave him away every time. Every once in a while she would wear it just to see his reaction. A little evil maybe, but she was never disappointed. Not one time. Sarah slid the blouse to the side of the closet. Seth was never going to see that one. That was for damn sure. "Besides," Sarah again said to herself with a grim smile as she picked out one of her newer blouses. "Seth won't care what top I wear, as long as he can see down it." To emphasize that point she reached down and unbuttoned an extra button. He wouldn't have to struggle to see down this one.

As Sarah was getting dressed she couldn't keep the silly smile off her face as she thought back to last night. It had to be killing Chuck. But all he was thinking about was her safety. She had never met a man like that before. Well, Bryce didn't count. He wouldn't have minded who she flirted with at all. Hell, he would have put some extra condoms in her purse just in case. Chuck was different. It bothered him. A lot. They both knew it. That's what made this so hard for him. But he was willing to put on a brave face because he knew that is what she needed.

When this was over, she promised herself to think of a special way to make it up to him. The problem was that the way to make something up to him that immediately came to mind she had used last night. Oh well. The way he was sitting on the side of the bed moaning at the end clearly said he probably wouldn't mind a repeat performance… or two. Maybe a surprise weekend in Vegas would be fun. Then her eyes settled on her engagement ring sitting on her dresser and her happy mood vanished like your breath on a cold morning. She had to call on her training to fight to keep the tears from forming. Yup, she was going to have to figure out something very special. Chuck deserved it.

Sarah didn't talk to herself that often, only when she really needed a pep talk. But this seemed like the day for it. "Come on Sarah," she finally said to herself firmly. "Get your damn head in the game before you get him killed."

x-x-x-x-x

Sarah stood in the hallway of the hotel just outside of Seth's room for a long moment trying to get her game face on. Finally she took a deep breath on knocked on the door. She almost didn't have time to get her dazzling smile in place before Seth opened the door.

"Hi, Sarah," Seth said with a grin as he quickly pulled her into the room. "I've been waiting for you."

It was time for phase one, to get this guy on fire. It would be the easy part. Seth was pretty much always on fire. "I couldn't wait to get here," Sarah said as she put her arms around Seth's head and pulled him into a long kiss.

Where yesterday she had let Seth be the aggressor, today it was Sarah that pressed her tongue against his lips. Naturally it didn't take Seth long to respond in kind. Their tongues danced for a long while as they engaged in the extended hot and heavy kiss. Finally Sarah could feel the event that she had been waiting for. Predictably Seth's hand entered her blouse and slide inside of her bra. She allowed his fingers to barely make contact around her breast when she broke the kiss and took a step back.

"Slow down a little," Sarah said with a soft smile. "Don't you think I can tell what your plan is? You're trying to make me lose my resolve here by having your magic hands get me so hot that before I know it I'm helping you put on the condom."

"What resolve is that?" Seth asked with a grin of his own.

"I think that you know," Sarah answered as she patted his bed with her open hand. "I'm staying out of this bed until we've decided if we are going to go forward."

"What is it going to take for me to convince you that I want that too?" Seth asked softly. "Whatever it is, I'm willing to do it."

That sounded like the right answer. Sarah was ready to find out if he meant it. "Okay, Seth," she said. "That sounds nice. I want to be convinced. But it's been five years. You're going to have to convince me that I can trust you."

"How can I do that?" Seth said with a grin.

"Well, for one thing," Sarah said with a smile. "You could start by not checking for loose change inside my bra every time I get within arms length."

"Sorry," Seth said with a sarcastic smile. "But I really don't see how you can blame me. You are just so incredibly hot."

"Let's start by talking," Sarah said with a grin. "We'll see how it goes from there. Trust me, when I'm ready for something more physical you'll be the first to know. What are you doing in L.A. anyway?"

"How about you go first?" Seth said.

"Fine," Sarah said as she sat down in a stuffed chair making sure that she leaned forward so that his eyes would be permanently affixed to the cleavage she was flashing him. "That's fair. I'm working. There is an employee at the local Buy More in the plaza. Her name is Anna Wu. Her dad is Vice President of Taiwan. I'm making sure that nothing happens to her."

"Wait a minute," Seth said with a confused tone. "Sarah, you're the top agent in the whole agency. Are you telling me that they have you babysitting a diplomat's kid? I find that hard to believe."

Here was going to be the hard part. If he didn't buy this part, the whole deal was probably not going to work. "I used to be the top agent," Sarah said sadly. "Not any more. Not for a while now. My career didn't go so well after you left me."

"I'm sorry," Seth said with a nod. "That must hurt. I know how much your career meant to you. And for the record, it was you that left me."

His sympathy would have touched Sarah, if she didn't realize that it was purely a play to get her in bed. Maybe change the subject. "I'm really not looking for a fight," she said sharply. "But the way I look at it, you left me when I came home that day and found you and Laura in bed."

"I know," Seth said softly. "I'm sorry. You'll never know how many times I've kicked myself for that bone headed move. What can I do to get a second chance?"

Sarah was actually embarrassed. How could she have ever fallen for this load of crap? Sure, he was good looking… but come on. "Try and be the man I fell in love with," she said shyly as she looked at the floor. "That's all I've ever wanted."

"I'd like that," Seth said gently. "What is it going to take for you to believe that?"

Now they were getting someplace. So she put the sexy pout on her face. "I don't know," she said sadly as she looked at Seth. "I wish I could tell you specifically. But I can't. I do know that you're going to have to let me get to know you again without expecting sex. Maybe we could pretend that we just started dating."

"I'll really try," Seth said with a smile. "But I remember how great the sex was. I hope that you don't blame me for wanting it again."

Sarah resisted the strong impulse to put her forefinger firmly down her throat. Instead she forced the shy smile on her face. "It was great for me too," she agreed. "I've missed it. I've missed you. Let's work on getting back to that, okay?"

"Okay," Seth said softly with a smile. "You might have to tie my arms down. But okay."

"So," Sarah said trying to lighten the mood and get back to her objective. "What are you doing in L.A. anyway?"

"I'm sorry, Sarah," Seth said sadly. "I'm working. I really can't say."

That was definitely the wrong answer. He couldn't be allowed to get away with that response. "Okay, Seth," Sarah said angrily as she got up and walked towards the door. "It was really nice to see you again. Maybe we'll do it again in five more years."

"Sarah, wait!" Seth called as she approached the door. "Please…"

Sarah stopped at the door but didn't turn to face Seth.

"I'll tell you."

x-x-x-x-x

Chuck was working on computers in the cage. He figured if he stayed buried in the cage, he had a much less chance of biting someone's head off. Not surprisingly, no one challenged him for that spot. Not only did no one like working in the cage, nobody wanted to get in his way. The look on his face told everybody that today was not a good day to mess with him. Loud and clear. Even Morgan, who normally was incredibly tone deaf to those sort of situations, seemed to get it. Finally Casey poked his head into the cage.

"Hey, tiger," Casey said trying to sound chipper. "How's your day going?"

"Great," Chuck said sarcastically. "She's in his hotel room right now. I wonder how many clothes she still has on."

"I thought you were going to trust her," Casey said with a laugh. "What happened to that? Besides, I'm sure that she still has some clothes on. Maybe."

"I trust her," said Chuck with a sigh as he shot Casey a sideways glance at his shot. "I do. I don't mean that. I just feel awful that she has to go through all this demeaning crap. Coming on to a guy that she can't stand. I'm thinking that maybe it's just better if I go to the bunker. It's probably going to happen anyway. It would save everybody a whole lot of trouble."

"You need to let Sarah make that call," Casey growled. "Trust me on this one. She is willing to make a hell of a lot more sacrifices for you than just flirting with some guy."

"I know," said Chuck. "But maybe I shouldn't let her."

That got a laugh. In fact Casey couldn't stop chuckling for a long while. "Do me one favor," he finally said as soon as he could. "Give me a little heads up when you're going to tell Walker what you're going to 'let' her do."

"This I want to see."

x-x-x-x-x

"Come on baby," Seth said as he hurried over to Sarah and put his arm around her. "I'm sorry. Please come back and sit down."

Sarah had always hated it when Seth called her baby. The nickname was demeaning. Sarah Walker was nobody's baby. Although it might be kinda nice to hear Chuck say it. She had to dig deep and remember why she was doing this in the first place to not simply keep walking. "Seth," she said sternly as she narrowed her eyes. "Are we just wasting our time here?"

"Please," said Seth softly. "It's been five years. Please cut me a little slack here. I'm really trying."

It was time to put up of shut up. "Fine," Sarah said sullenly as she stomped back over to the chair and sat down. "But this is the last time. Now, why are you here?"

"Okay, Sarah," Seth said as he looked around the room nervously. "I'll tell you. But I have to warn you. This isn't classified information. It's the kind of information that can get you dead."

"Go on," Sarah said firmly with little attempt at putting any humor into her voice. "I'm listening."

"This isn't exactly a sanctioned mission," Seth said softly. "I'm working with a special group within the Intelligence Community. About a year ago we sent an agent to stake out the Buy More. We were looking for an ex agent named Bryce Larkin. About six months our agent disappeared without a trace. I need to find out why."

_Special group within the intelligence community? Is that what they're calling that disgraced group of traitors these days?_ She instantly knew why Seth was here. It was great news. That meant he didn't know about Chuck. Maybe she could make sure that never happened. "Wait a minute," Sarah said in a surprised voice. "You mean my Buy More? The one I've been watching for the past year? What is this agent's name? What does he look like? Maybe I've seen him."

"It's a woman," Seth said as he reached to the table grabbed a picture and handed it to her. "Her code name is Lizzy. Have you ever seen her?"

"No," Sarah said as she pretended to study the picture. "But maybe I can help you. I have access to all the surveillance footage for the past year. Why don't I see what I can find out?"

"Why would you do that?" Seth asked cautiously. "You know that this isn't sanctioned, right?"

"Like I care about that," Sarah said with a scoff. "I've been babysitting a spoiled brat rich kid for the past year. My career is over. What do I have to lose? I thought that you wanted to try and get back together?"

"I do," said Seth with a smile. "Very much."

"Okay, Seth," Sarah said excitedly. "Maybe this is the break that we need. Here's what I'm thinking. We'll work together. If you will let me help you crack this case, I'll start to trust you again. I'll go with you to your next assignment and we can be together. Wouldn't you like that?"

"I'd like that a lot," Seth said with a smile. "Can you stay the night?"

_What an asshole_. He was perfectly willing to allow her to unknowingly commit treason by helping Fulcrum. Then he wanted her to climb into his bed and creatively thank him for the opportunity. _Can you believe it?_ "Seth," Sarah said warningly. "I'm not sleeping with you until I can trust you."

"Okay," Seth said with a laugh. "I get it. No sex. I just want to hold you in my arms for the night. Would that work?"

Sarah knew Seth. No matter what he said, the odds of him not trying something if they were in bed together approached zero. But this would definitely seal the deal in his mind. Sarah knew that she had no choice but to agree. But she needed time to get Chuck prepared emotionally. And maybe Beckman would have some suggestions on how to play this. So a stall… "I can't tonight," she said quickly as she stood up to leave. "How about tomorrow? Would that work?"

"Absolutely," Seth said as he stood up and kissed Sarah with the same passion as their greeting kiss."

"We're going to be together again," Sarah said as she walked to the door, making sure that he couldn't see the smirk that was plastered on her face. "I can't tell you how many nights I've dreamt of this happening."

"Me too, baby," Seth said as Sarah left the room. "Me too."

x-x-x-x-x

As soon as Sarah left Seth picked up his cell phone and dialed a number.

"_Hi, Laura, it's me."_

"_Yeah, I miss you too."_

"_It's going fine. It was kind of boring until yesterday. You'll never guess who I ran into."_

"_Sarah Walker, do you believe it?"_

"_I know."_

"_She actually wants to try and get back together."_

"_I know. She's absolutely crazy. She thinks that we're still married."_

"_Come on, baby. You're not going to tell me that you're jealous. I just want to get her on her knees one last time. I need to see if she's improved any."_

"_You're right. She would have had to, wouldn't she? She was pretty horrible at it. Maybe you could give her some pointers. After all, you're the best. She always looked up to you. And she was always willing to learn new things. You have to give her credit for that. And you also have to admit, she's smoking hot."_

"_No, not yet. She's playing all hard to get."_

"_She's coming back over tomorrow night. How about our normal bet that I can seal the deal tomorrow?"_

"_Don't worry about that. She's ready. Trust me. If I had really pushed I could have had her top off just a few minutes ago. Maybe I can keep her going for a few days. That would give you long enough to get out here and walk in on us. Maybe offer to give her some lessons."_

"_Yup, that would be a hoot. We have to make that happen."_

"_You're right, baby. Turn about is fair play."_

x-x-x-x-x

When Chuck walked into the room, Sarah was waiting for him. The look on her face told him right away that something was wrong. Chuck walked up and quickly embraced Sarah. They stood silently for a long moment until Sarah broke the embrace.

"Come sit down," she said softly as she pulled Chuck into a kitchen chair and sat across from him. "I need to talk to you. I need to explain to you about what's going on and about me and Seth."

"I thought that you couldn't talk about it?" Chuck asked in surprise. "I thought that talking about it would mess you up."

"Maybe," said Sarah sadly. "But right now not talking about it is messing me up even more. I'm so proud of you for putting your jealousy aside. But you deserve to know what is going on. Things went better than expected this afternoon. We have to be at the Orange Orange in an hour for a briefing with Casey and Beckman to talk about what to do next. And there is something that I want you to hear from me before that. I have to know that you know exactly what is, and isn't, going to happen and are going to be okay with it. It's not nearly as bad as it sounds."

"Sarah," Chuck whispered. "What is it?"

"I have to spend the night tomorrow with Seth."

x-x-x-x-x


	4. Trust Me

_This is not an original story. It was written during the middle of season 2. The original story assumed a sequel that never happened. So there will be some brand new content in this rewrite and several new chapters at the end._

_Warning: There is a lot of adult content in this. This story was a sequel to The Fake Relationship. If you read the original, this is going to have a different feel. The original depended far too much on the cheap angst of making Chuck (and the reader) worry about where Sarah's loyalties were. All of that's gone. There will never be a question over Sarah's motives. She is trying to protect Chuck… period. The only question will be how best to do that._

_So if you read the original and you think you know what's going to happen… sorry, you don't. From this point on, it is more or less a new story. The basic events may be similar, but this is now basically the story of Chuck and Sarah figuring out how the dual nature of their relationship, and especially their marriage, is going to work. They are simply different people, have different perspectives on things like sex, duty, and sacrifice that need to be reconciled. That process will not be totally smooth, but that would be boring, right? Both will come to realize that in order for them to be happy together, they both need to accept that the other has a legitimate argument to make and consider._

_I've gotten some questions about what the rating change means. I was reluctant to change the rating. By definition, it means that fewer people will read it. But I finally came to the conclusion that the story I want to tell requires it. First, what it doesn't mean. This won't be porn. I'm probably not going to be any more descriptive of specific sex acts than I was before. There will be some very steamy scenes (at least, I think so). There will be situations and language that may offend some. I'm going to start to use the adult words that people actually use instead of metaphors. But also if you're concerned, I'd like to point out that most of that will not really involve Chuck and Sarah, and almost none where they aren't together._

_Chuck was an 8:00 show on a broadcast network. As such, they had to hint at things that they really couldn't say. For example, Carina shows up engaged to a mark. How did that happen? They couldn't say. Well, this is no longer an 8:00 story._

_I still don't own Chuck._

_If you enjoyed this or any of the stories on this site, please take a second and send the author a review. It only takes a second – and it really, really makes a difference. That's probably more important than ever now that the series has ended. If you want to keep the Chuck fandom alive and continue to read about these characters, you really need to think about rewarding the people whose hard work make that possible._

**Trust Me**

x-x-x-x-x

"Are you ready to talk?" Sarah said as soothingly as she could.

Chuck just glared at her. "This isn't as bad as it sounds?" he lashed out sarcastically. "Well that's good news, I guess. Because from where I'm standing it sounds pretty fucking bad. You're spending the night with your husband? What's the good part? He's going to take you out for an expensive dinner first and send you some nice flowers after? He promises to use condoms every time? He's not inviting any of his friends over for a gang bang? Give me a clue here, something to hold on to at least."

"Okay, Chuck," Sarah said with a sad smile as he sat across from her but still wouldn't meet her eye. "I guess that I had all of that coming. You're angry. You're feeling betrayed. I get that. I find it hard to fault you for any of that. If you'll just take a breath and let me explain what is going to happen and why, I think I can make you feel better about it. But you're going to have to help me here a little. I need you to look at me."

Chuck slowly lifted his gaze to meet Sarah's eyes. The look of hurt on his face brought tears to Sarah's eyes. "I'm so horrible at this," she said softly as she grabbed both of his hands. "But I'm not getting up from this chair until you know how I feel. That might take a while. Words have never been my strength. So I hope that you can be patient with me."

"I think that I deserve the truth," Chuck said. "Just say it. Are you breaking up with me?"

"Chuck," Sarah said, the angry flash in her eyes in stark contrast to the calmness in her voice. "I'm fighting the urge to be really, really fucking pissed at you right now… like kicking your ass around the room pissed. Are you seriously sitting there thinking that was ever a possibility? Don't you get it yet? If you had a clue in that pea brain of yours how I really feel about you, you would know just how plain stupid and insulting that question was. I am so in love with you that it scares me. It's taking everything I have right now to keep from breaking down at seeing you hurt like this. If there was any other way around this, I would take it. I can't believe that you don't know that."

"What do you expect from me?" Chuck asked in a confused tone. "You're telling me that you're going to spend the night with your not even ex husband? In the same bed? And I'm supposed to just smile and wish you well? You seriously don't think that he will be expecting you to spread your legs for him, more than once?"

Sarah took a deep breath to keep her growing frustration in check. "I hope so," she slowly said with a sigh as she looked straight at him. "I've worked hard to give him that very expectation. That expectation is the only weapon I have to keep you safe. But I'm not going to spread my legs for him, not tomorrow, not ever. You should absolutely know that already. Wow, now I'm really starting to wonder if you're messing with me."

"I'm not messing with you," Chuck said pointedly. "You're just not looking at it from my perspective."

Sarah calmed down a little. "Okay," she said. "But can we take a deep breath and talk about this rationally? Let me start with my perspective… at the beginning. Yes, technically I'm married to him. That's actually something that you have every right to be pissed at me about not knowing. Here's the deal with that. I'm so sorry you have to hear this story like this. I promise I was always going to tell you. I was just waiting for the right time. And honestly we were having such a good time for the past week that I didn't want anything to spoil it. So I held off. That was selfish. I'm honestly very sorry. I met Seth right after I graduated from CIA academy. I really didn't have any experience with men. You know that I wasn't socially active in high school, sort of the ugly duckling."

It was hard to ever think of Sarah as an ugly duckling. It was hard to think of Sarah as an ugly anything. But he nodded to let her know to continue.

"Seth was really the first man in my life who actually took a serious interest in me," Sarah continued. "Or at least he pretended to. I guess at the time I was really attracted to that. I think there is actually a stereotype in there someplace. But here I was, this trained seductress… who knew almost nothing about actual sex… standing next to twenty other graduates like Carina who were, well, you'd say sluts. I was now an expert in how to get a man in bed, and really didn't know a thing about what to do with him when I got him there. I figured I'd better learn fast. Seth was a safe way to do that, or so I thought. And he was more than eager to train me in ways to please him. Anyway, we had been dating for about three months when I unexpectedly came home early one day and caught him in bed with my roommate."

"That must have hurt," Chuck said softly.

"More than I can say," Sarah said with a grim smile as she picked up her head to look at Chuck. "You know me. Predictably, I was pretty pissed. I told him it was over. He begged me to forgive him. He told me that if I would marry him, he would stay faithful. I was stupid. I was so desperate to fit in with this new life that I was willing to overlook the flashing red lights that were blinking in my face. Looking back I'm really embarrassed about that. Long story short, we had been married for about six weeks and I caught him in bed with the same girl. I haven't seen him since that day until just yesterday."

"That's a horrible story," Chuck said. "But why are you still married? Why didn't you just get divorced?"

"I just never thought it would matter," Sarah said sadly. "When that happened with Seth I told myself that I was never going to get married again. I decided that I was going to dedicate my life to the greater good."

"So," said Chuck with a sad smile. "That's where super agent Sarah Walker was born."

In spite of the tense situation Sarah had a momentary thrill at how well he knew her. "Precisely," she said with a sigh. "I became a lone wolf, never depending on anybody. Eventually I met Bryce. And he was perfect for me at the time. We weren't really a couple. But we could be two people that didn't depend on anybody… together. Then the worst thing possible happened. I got this nothing piece of cake assignment to baby sit some nerd who was working in a Buy More. It's funny about this business. You never know what thing is going to become your fatal flaw. It turns out that this nerd was far more devious than anybody thought. The rotten bastard tricked me, did the worst thing to me you can imagine. He kept putting up with my crap, wouldn't take no for an answer until he forced me to fall head over heels in love with him. And Seth is a big reason why I kept pushing you away for so long. It's true what they say. When you've been burned once, you're careful around the stove. But I was helpless. Finally I had no choice but to admit it. The CIA offered several times over the years to get the marriage annulled. I'm sorry that I didn't follow through but I was always on a mission. Besides, I was embarrassed. It was a part of my life that I really didn't want to think about. I will as soon as this is over. I promise."

It was pretty hard to stay mad at Sarah for any amount of time even under normal circumstances. But now, it was pretty much impossible. "So you have loved two other men," Chuck said softly. "Explain something. What's different about me? I mean, how do I know that your feelings for me will last when they didn't for the other two guys?"

"It's a fair question," Sarah said sadly with a sigh. "I can see how it would look that way to you. I can. I mean, I married Seth. I've sorta told Bryce that I loved him. I've even asked myself that very question only about a million times. And here is my answer… to myself… and to you. I've only loved one man in my life. I never came close to feeling for Seth Roberts or Bryce Larkin like I feel about Chuck Bartowski. That's the pure and simple, no bullshit, straight up truth. And now that I know what love feels like, I never want to risk losing it. It's intense. Sometimes it's even a little painful. But mostly it's simply wonderful. I hope that I don't need to prove that to you. How do you prove something like that anyway? How can you prove to me that you'll love me twenty years from now? You can't. But you don't have to. I feel it. I hope that you feel it too."

Chuck's eyes softened as he listened to Sarah.

"You're my best friend," Sarah whispered as the tears started to form in her eyes. "You're the only one in my life, other than maybe my dad, who even gets me, who knows who I am as a person. I can't imagine my life without you. So when we get married, I want it to be perfect for the rest of our lives, because you're perfect."

Chuck squeezed her hands for reassurance.

"I tried my best to keep from loving you," Sarah said as a single tear ran down her cheek. "You'll never know how hard. I tried so hard, Chuck, but I just couldn't do it."

"I know," Chuck whispered.

Sarah took a breath and composed herself. "Believe me," she continued. "Seth might be expecting sex from me tomorrow. I'm going to encourage that, tease him with it, allow him to assume that it's a possibility, even tell him exactly what to do to make it happen. But it is not going to happen. When the time comes, I'll be able to shoot Seth Roberts in the head without batting an eye. There is nothing he could do or say to make me feel anything for him. He is a joke, as an agent, but more importantly as a man. You could make me stop wanting to live. You could absolutely destroy me. That's the difference. Do you understand?"

"I think so," Chuck said with the beginnings of his own smile. "You could absolutely destroy me too. That's why this hurts so much."

"I know," Sarah said as she matched Chuck's smile. "I don't want you to hurt. That trust is a privilege that I take very seriously. A year ago, at the beach, I asked you to trust me. Do you remember?"

"Of course I remember."

"At the time that was pretty easy," Sarah said. "You really didn't have much of a choice. I was only asking you to trust me with your well being. Now I'm asking that you trust me again. But this time, I need you to trust me with your soul. Just like I trust you with mine. And I promise, I swear to you, Chuck, that I won't violate that trust. Whatever I do now as a spy will be for one reason… your well being. I need you to believe that. I need you to know, that no matter what it looks like, I would never, ever betray you."

"I trust you," Chuck said as his face broke into a grin. "You're actually pretty good at this talking about your feelings thing. I think you've been sandbagging me here."

"You're the only person in the world that I could have this discussion with," Sarah said. "I hope you understand what that means."

"I understand," Chuck said as his grin broadened. "You'll never know how honored I am."

"Good," Sarah said with a grin of her own. "Thank you. That's important because we're going to have to talk about some tough unpleasant things now."

"I don't want you to spend the night with him," Chuck said sadly as his grin disappeared. "I know that you think I'm not being supportive enough. I just can't help it. When it comes to you I'm selfish. I want you all to myself.

"That's not selfish," Sarah said. "It's actually pretty damn sweet. I'll not lie to you. I do wish you could understand and maybe be a little more supportive. But I also don't blame you for how you feel. I feel it too. I would give anything to not be forced to do this. But I need to gain his confidence. All I can promise you is that nothing is going to happen."

"And I believe you," Chuck said firmly. "I do. This isn't about trust. I just feel horrible that you have to go through that for me. Maybe it's better if I just go to the bunker. It's probably going to happen eventually anyway."

"Come on Chuck," Sarah said firmly. "You don't want that."

"I'm terrified of the thought of a bunker," Chuck admitted. "I couldn't bear not ever seeing you again. But if it could keep you safe…"

"How can you say something like that?" Sarah interrupted angrily. "Chuck, come on. Were you not paying attention just a minute ago? How many times are you going to make me say this? Didn't we just agree to trust each other with our very souls?" Then she took another breath. "Sweetie, do you really think that there is any chance that I would let you go anyplace without me? If you end up in a bunker, every single night when you go to bed, my head is going to be lying on your chest. Whatever happens for the rest of our lives, it's going to happen to us… together. It's starting to hurt me that you don't seem to believe that."

"I'm sorry," Chuck said. "I'm not trying to hurt you."

"Thank you," Sarah said softly. "But it would still be bad. We would have to tell Ellie that you are dead. Neither one of us would ever get to see her again. I know that you love her very much. But, guess what, Chuck? I love her too. I've never had a sister before. I'm kinda liking it. That's why I'm hoping that you can trust me enough to let me try and get us out of this. I know that I'm asking a lot."

"I trust you," Chuck said softly. "There is no one on earth that I would want protecting me more than you. But I don't think you realize what you're asking. This is going to be really hard for me."

"I know, sweetie," Sarah said sadly as she moved to sit on Chuck's lap. "I promise that I'll keep the physical stuff to as little as I possibly can. I'll also be as reassuring with you as I can be."

"Thank you," said Chuck as he gently touched his lips to Sarah's. "I really, really love you."

"I know," said Sarah. "I really, really love you too."

Sarah wrapped her arms around Chuck's neck and pressed her lips to Chuck's. For a long moment they shared a passionate kiss. After a few minutes, Sarah felt Chuck's hand enter her blouse much like Seth's had earlier that day.

"Sweetie," Sarah whispered between kisses. "I'm so sorry but we don't have time for this right now. We have to be at the briefing in fifteen minutes. We'll be home later."

"All right," said Chuck reluctantly with a sigh as he removed his hand and broke the kiss. "We can wait. It's just…"

"Just what?" Sarah asked softly.

"Casey told me that is how I would know," Chuck said sadly as he looked at the floor. "He told me that if we really had sex, I would know that it was real."

Sarah looked at those puppy dog brown eyes, the ones she could never say no to. "Okay," she said with a sigh as she began to unbutton her blouse. "We have had plenty of sex. But if you need this now, I guess I can understand that. We really have to hurry."

"Wow," Chuck said with a surprised laugh. "I'm so sorry. I was just teasing you. You mean that really would have worked?"

"Don't you remember our discussion about paybacks?" Sarah asked with a knowing grin as she refastened the buttons on her blouse for the second time today. "You now are owed one, mister."

Chuck's only response was a very audible gulp.

x-x-x-x-x

Casey, Chuck, and Sarah were all sitting at the conference room table waiting, more or less, patiently when Beckman came online.

As always Beckman ruled the meeting with an iron fist. "Agent Walker," she said crisply. "Would you care to report what you've found out on your assignment today?"

Sarah flashed Chuck a soft smile that she hoped was reassuring. "Thank you ma'am," she said calmly. "Using my previous relationship with the suspect, I was able to gain his confidence. Once I had done that, I learned that he is, indeed, working with Fulcrum. He was sent to determine why their Agent Lizzy disappeared last year. He also verified to me that Lizzy was staking out the Buy More because of some vague intelligence they had that indicated there was a possible connection to Bryce Larkin. There was no indication that they have any knowledge of Chuck. I offered to use my contacts within the Buy More to help him determine what happened to Lizzy."

"Thank you, Agent Walker," Beckman said. "And what reason did you give the suspect for being in the area?"

"Well, ma'am," Sarah replied. "Using our pre established plan for this contingency, I told him that I was assigned to protect Anna Wu, who's father is a senior Taiwanese government official. I told him that I spotted him in the plaza and followed him to the hotel."

"And he bought that?" asked Beckman skeptically.

"Yes, ma'am," Sarah replied curtly. "I believe so. Thinking things through critically was never his strength."

"Very good," said Beckman. "Now, what are we going to do? I'm open to any ideas."

"Can't we just arrest him, ma'am?" Chuck asked tentatively. "We could throw him in the cell next to Lizzy."

"That wouldn't work, Chuck," Sarah said softly. "I would like nothing better. But if Fulcrum has another agent disappear, that will just confirm to them that they have reason to suspect the Buy More. They would send in twenty agents to find out why. There's no way for you to remain hidden under that kind of scrutiny."

"Ma'am," Casey said. "Agent Walker has a former intimate relationship with the suspect. Perhaps she could appeal to his emotional ties to feed Fulcrum false intelligence."

"I'm afraid that won't work, Major Casey," Beckman replied sadly. "On the printer is a transcript of one side of a conversation that we intercepted from the bug that Agent Walker planted in his room today. I think that it is clear that the suspect doesn't have any legitimate feelings for Agent Walker. He is just angling for a sexual encounter. Do we have any idea who this Laura is?"

Casey quickly went and retrieved the document. He handed it to Sarah and looked over her shoulder while she read it.

"Yes ma'am," Sarah said sadly as she reviewed the transcript. "She is almost assuredly Laura Carter. She was my roommate at the time Seth and I were married. They obviously have been having a long term affair."

"If he's Fulcrum," Casey said with a grimace as he took his seat in disgust. "Then it's a pretty safe assumption that she is as well."

"Okay," said Beckman. "This is all some very interesting information, but we still have no plan."

"Ma'am," Chuck said thoughtfully. "As much as I'd like to think I'm special, I'm assuming that Sarah is not the only female agent to ever fall in love while on an assignment."

"No, Chuck," Beckman said in a rather condescending tone. "I won't say that it happens frequently, but it's also not that rare. It happens much more often than it should. That's exactly why we're always watching so closely for it. But what is your point?"

"Maybe," Chuck said a little more animatedly. "We could convince this Seth guy that Lizzie didn't disappear. She fell in love with someone and left with them."

"Exactly, ma'am," Sarah exclaimed as her light bulb suddenly turned on. "She fell in love with a civilian and followed him off the grid. We have Lizzy in custody, right? It would be fairly easy to fake some store surveillance photos of Lizzy with some man who really doesn't exist. I could give them to Seth and Fulcrum would be looking all over the world for this mysterious man who doesn't really exist. They would no longer have any reason to suspect the Buy More."

"I like this idea," Beckman said firmly. "Well done, Chuck. But what about Seth Roberts? We can't have him walking around knowing that Agent Walker is associated with the Buy More. It would only be a matter of time before someone puts two and two together."

Sarah looked at Chuck sadly. This was going to be hard for him to hear. "Well, ma'am," she said as she winced. "I've already promised Seth that I would go with him to resume our marriage once he was done with his current assignment. He is expecting us to resume our sexual relationship at that time. Once he was away from the area for a day or two nobody would associate him with the Buy More. So we would be free to arrest him or terminate him without fearing anybody would make the connection."

"Very good," Beckman said. "We'll do exactly that. Agent Walker, when is your next meeting with Seth Roberts?"

"Tomorrow," Sarah said sadly. "I'm scheduled to spend the night with him."

"Do you really think that is necessary?" Beckman asked? "It's your professional judgment. But it's also a rather intimate assignment. We wouldn't want you subjected to it needlessly."

"Yes, ma'am," Sarah said while looking at Chuck. "Thank you for the consideration. I wish it wasn't but I'm afraid that it is. While I'm at it, I would like to take a stab at getting Seth to set up a meeting with his Fulcrum superior. Maybe we would nab him as well."

"Do you think that he would?" Beckman said.

"Yes, ma'am," said Sarah. "I think given the sentiment expressed on this transcript that we have a good chance of busting the Fulcrum leader, Laura Carter, and Seth Roberts. We could also lead Fulcrum away from suspecting the Buy More forever."

"Excellent," exclaimed Beckman. "Let's get together tomorrow just before your meeting with Roberts. Good luck, Agent Walker. You're dismissed."

As soon as the screen went blank, Sarah turned to Chuck with eyes glistening. "I'm so proud of you, sweetie," she said. "That was brilliant."

The tenseness of the situation was no reason for Casey to allow the opportunity to take a shot pass by. "So, Walker," he said with a sneer as he held up the transcript. "Care to share with us what tips this Laura Carter is going to give you to help you improve? Improve in what area?"

That actually broke the tension in the room and they all started laughing.

"I may not be an expert," Chuck whispered into her ear. "But I'd say that you have definitely improved."

"Thank you, sweetie," Sarah said in a faux huff directed at Casey.

"Let's go home and practice."

x-x-x-x-x


	5. The Joke

_This is not an original story. It was written during the middle of season 2. The original story assumed a sequel that never happened. So there will be some brand new content in this rewrite and several new chapters at the end._

_I still don't own Chuck._

_If you enjoyed this or any of the stories on this site, please take a second and send the author a review. It only takes a second – and it really, really makes a difference. That's probably more important than ever now that the series has ended. If you want to keep the Chuck fandom alive and continue to read about these characters, you really need to think about rewarding the people whose hard work make that possible._

**The Joke**

x-x-x-x-x

Sarah had to bite her lip to keep the cry of passion from escaping her lips. She wasn't really sure why that was so important to her. Chuck would probably enjoy hearing her helplessly cry out, to know that his tongue was driving her crazy, positive feedback and all that. It's just that she was a spy. And spies were taught to keep their real feelings to themselves. Old habits were hard to break.

But somehow she figured he was getting the general idea that she was having a very, very, very good time anyway. Sarah had her hands firmly on the top of Chuck's head, fingers tangled in his hair, pressing him into her, arching her back, straining to get the most contact humanly possible. Not that Chuck needed any help. In fact restricting his movements like that was probably getting in his way more than helping. He clearly knew what he was doing. At some level Sarah knew that this was simply her way of maintaining the illusion of being in control of this situation, which is where she was always most comfortable. After all, she was the seductress. She set the agenda, was the pursuer. Except she wasn't in control of this situation. She knew it. Chuck knew it too. He was firmly in control.

They had only been together officially for about a week, actually only six glorious days, and Sarah had already come to find this her very favorite part of their love making, which really meant the favorite part of her whole life to date. She couldn't believe how much she had already come to look forward to it. It even unnerved her a bit to admit to herself that she had never in her life felt anything like the intensity of the orgasms he could coax from her. She loved it so much that she had already learned to overcome her embarrassment and openly ask him for it. And he was always more than happy to accommodate her. It was something that he plainly enjoyed as much as she did. That's probably a large part of the reason why she enjoyed it so thoroughly. She wasn't totally sure why this fact pleasantly surprised her so much, but it was something that Chuck was proving to be very, very good at. And that didn't even come close to describing it. It was closer to magical.

Not that she had much to compare him to. Bryce was always somewhat less than enthusiastic, was only doing it for one reason, and clearly always wanted to get it over with as soon as possible so they would move on to his turn. And at least Bryce was a step up from Seth. With Seth she didn't even get a turn, he took both. But Chuck clearly enjoyed doing this for her. He knew exactly where her hot buttons were and how to get the job done. He just as clearly enjoyed slowly and steadily getting her to the very edge, then slowing down and playfully trying to keep her at that edge, making it a game to see how long he could make it last for her, and then just before it became frustrating finally speeding up the tempo again and driving her to an explosive climax.

The first few times Sarah felt a little guilty. He stretched it out so gloriously long until she worried about making his neck sore. But he scoffed at that notion, told her that he loved making her squirm. So finally she had learned to take him at his word, accept that this was his expression of how much he loved her, and just enjoy it. And she did enjoy it, just lying there squirming under his control, letting him do this thing, and trying to make the glorious feeling last as long as possible. But finally she couldn't hold out any longer against the explosion that he was steadily building inside of her. As the spasms of her powerful orgasm consumed her, she must have lost touch for a while. Because when she regained awareness she found Chuck lying next to her, his finger gently taking the place where his tongue had just been. He was actually pretty good at that as well.

Sarah just stayed still for a long moment enjoying his gentle touch. Then she took a deep breath and leaned over to kiss him lovingly. "Thank you, sweetie," she said. "That was fantastic, maybe the best it's ever been. Someday you're going to have to tell me how you learned to do that so expertly. You must have had a good teacher."

Chuck was clearly pleased by the intensity of the orgasm he had just given her, and even more by her praise. "You're very welcome," he said. "I probably learned it the same way you did."

In the dark, Chuck failed to catch the gleam in her eyes. "Carina taught you too?" Sarah asked in faux surprise. "You must be a better student than I am. The girl has incredibly high standards when it comes to sex, always tells me that I have some work to do. Every time she's in town she comes here and makes me practice on her all night until my neck starts to hurt. I'm not sure what's going to happen next time when she finds her two prize students in bed together. She can get pretty jealous."

The red in Chuck's face was plain, even in the darkened room. He didn't know what to say. "Really?" was all he could think of.

Sarah slapped his chest playfully. "No, not really," she said as she openly laughed at his horror. "I'm just teasing you. Come on, Chuck. Seriously? You're being ridiculous. I know what you meant."

"Very funny," Chuck said in relief. "You're a regular comedian, aren't you?"

Sarah leaned in to kiss him again. Even though she was still laughing, this kiss had a lot more purpose. "I have my moments," she said. "Just a bit of friendly advice, if that image came at all close to one of your secret fantasies, I'd keep it to yourself. A mark suggested to Carina in Italy a few years ago that they invite me to join them in bed and I think the poor guy is still in the hospital."

"That's funny on several levels," Chuck said. "For one thing, that's not my fantasy. In fact the very thought is disgusting. For another, Carina scares me. Finally, are you seriously trying to tell me that Carina would object all that much to the general concept? That seems hard to believe."

"Probably not," Sarah agreed. "She's pretty open about who she screws. I don't know for sure, mind you, but under the right circumstance I don't really see gender being a show stopper. But here is what you need to know. It wasn't Carina who kicked that mark's ass around the room. It was me. It blew the mission. I actually got called back to Washington and had to stand there at attention while Director Graham screamed at me pretty good for an hour. I was even benched for a few days. It would have been longer if I wasn't one of his favorites. So I'm just saying. If the mood ever strikes you, I'd definitely keep it to yourself."

Chuck decided to let slide why she was one of Graham's favorites… for now. It wasn't the time for that particular discussion. But someday he was going to find out what that meant. "That's good to know," he said. "Like I said, it's disgusting. Are there any other things that I should keep to myself if the mood strikes me?"

"Maybe," Sarah said as she leaned in to kiss him again. This kiss was clearly designed to lead to something. "I think I might just let you find out the others on your own. I think that maybe you need a little bit of fear to keep you honest." She began to kiss her way down his neck and slid her hand down his bare stomach and under the waistband of the sweatpants that served as his pajamas. "Now back to the matter at hand, which coincidentally seems to be full of little Chuck Bartowski at the moment. I really, really enjoyed that. Let's see if I can return the favor."

To say that Sarah was surprised when Chuck grabbed her wrist and gently but firmly pulled her hand out of his pants would be far, far short of reality. It was the first time that he had been anything but eager to fully participate in whatever she had in mind. And what she had in mind in this case seemed pretty obvious. In her experience, men didn't turn that down, no matter what. Bryce would have already been sitting on the side of the bed in his normal spot waiting for her. That she would quickly reciprocate for him would have been a foregone conclusion. It's the only reason he would have done anything of the sort for her in the first place and they both openly knew it. He would have fully expected and basically demanded his payback. He would be simply using her for his satisfaction. But that was fair. After all she had been just using him too. But Chuck was at a completely different level. He didn't think that way at all. He was… just different.

"Not tonight," was all Chuck said.

So Sarah snuggled into her favorite position with her head on his chest. "Is something wrong?" she finally asked softly.

Chuck paused for a long moment, so long that Sarah was beginning to think he wasn't going to answer. "Nothing's wrong," he finally said.

Sarah lifted her head to look at him. "What's wrong?" she asked more insistently.

"Nothing's wrong," Chuck insisted, perhaps a little more forcefully than he intended. "Can I just not be in the mood?"

"Don't do this to me," Sarah said softly but firmly. "Chuck, please don't shut me out like this. It doesn't help. I've worked so hard to be open with you even though it's totally outside of my comfort zone. I deserve the same from you, don't you think? We both know that something's wrong. You can tell me what it is. That's the only way we can deal with it. This is about tomorrow night, isn't it?"

Chuck paused for a long moment. "It's all I can see," he finally said. "I don't want to fight about this again. I'm trying to be supportive. But I can see it with my eyes open, the smug look on his face while he's watching you get down on your knees. Or watching you lie there helplessly naked on his bed with your legs in the air just waiting for him to start pounding into you."

"Chuck, you're being ridiculous. Those things aren't going to happen."

"Ridiculous?" Chuck asked. "Talk to me about that. You've told me what isn't going to happen. What is?"

Sarah paused for a moment at the tone in his voice. She was surprised by the question. She thought that Casey had talked to him about this, thought that he knew generally what she was doing with Seth. "I'm not specifically sure," she said truthfully. She decided to make this as clinical as possible. Maybe that would help. "I'm not being vague to try and hide anything from you. It's just that some of this depends on circumstances. The objective here is to make the mark as aroused as possible, think he's about to get sex, then to place a condition on him getting that sex that you want to force him into. Obviously my condition is that he trust me enough to accept my explanation about Lizzy and report it to his superiors so that they'll end his assignment and lead him away from the Buy More. I've already told him there would be no sex until I could trust him and that would take some time. He's been told to not expect sex tomorrow. Of course hopefully he still is expecting it. That just means my job is to keep him blind with anticipation. He needs to think that I'm struggling with my own desires and that he's very close to getting what he wants from me. So I'm going to do whatever is required to get him on fire and keep him there. It shouldn't be too bad. There has already been some pretty heavy kissing. I'm going to take more of the lead on that tomorrow. He's already put his hand in my bra for a second. He'll likely do it again. If he doesn't, I'll probably encourage him, let it stay there for a while this time and pretend that I enjoy it, maybe with a moan or two. That should be enough. If not, I might rub him through his pants while we're kissing to judge just how excited he is. If I don't like what I feel, worst case I might tease him by losing most of my clothes for his benefit when we're getting ready for bed. Once we're in bed, he is assuredly going to make his move. But I should be in firm control by then. I'll tell him that if he doesn't stop, I'm leaving."

Chuck paused for a long moment. "And you seriously expect me to accept that?' he asked angrily.

Sarah was stunned by the anger in his voice. "The things that you're worried about won't happen," she quickly said. "This is all pretend."

"Don't tell me that!" Chuck yelled. But he quickly gathered his composure. "I'm very sorry that I raised my voice to you," he said. "That's not acceptable. But, Sarah, you just don't get it. I know that those things aren't going to happen. I'm not worried about that. This isn't that I don't trust you. But you're telling this man in word and deed that they are going to happen. More important, he thinks they are going to happen. Can't you see that's almost as bad? You're making me stand there helplessly watching while another man is kissing my fiancé with his hand playing with her breast, watching her take off her clothes for him, and smugly knowing that he is about to fuck her brains out for a whole night. You're giving me no way to correct him. The fact that he's wrong is almost irrelevant. Do you seriously really not get what that feels like, how emasculating it is?"

Sarah paused for a long moment. "I guess that I do now," she said softly. "You're right. I didn't get it. That is exactly why you have to tell me these things, so we can deal with them. I'm very sorry if this makes you feel emasculated and that I haven't been more sensitive to that. That's the last thing I would want. It just never occurred to me, I'm honestly still not sure why you'd feel that way. But in my defense, I've never had someone who actually loved me, who actually worried about my honor before. Bryce couldn't have cared less. He would have suggested that I dance for him and perform a sexy strip. He would have wanted me to practice with him the night before in case I'd tragically forgotten how to dance or take my clothes off somehow. But you're not Bryce, are you? You're so much more. I'm sorry, Chuck. What can I do to help you?"

"That seems obvious," Chuck said. "Don't do this."

"Okay," Sarah said. "Here is the deal that I'll make with you. If you don't want me to do this, I won't, okay?"

"Okay," Chuck said cautiously. "Thank you. I don't want you to do it. But what will that mean?"

"I'm afraid that it means you're much more likely to end up in a bunker," Sarah said. "And that means telling Ellie that we're dead and never seeing her again. If that's what you want…"

"But you know I don't want that," Chuck said quickly.

"I know," Sarah said. "But I'm afraid you can't have it both ways. Chuck, I'm not inventing this problem. It's just a reality of the situation. I take no pleasure in making you face that unpleasant decision. I wish those weren't our only choices, but they are. If that's what you decide, I'll do my level best, but if I can't make Seth blind with the anticipation that he is going to get me on my knees or my legs in the air, you've taken away my best weapon. It would take our odds of being successful down from 90% to about 10%. That is simply my honest professional opinion. But you are my top priority, Chuck. You always have been. I know those are just words, but I mean them with every fiber. If you can't let me help you through this, if this is going to haunt you, emasculate you, then it's not worth it. We'll just take our 10% chance and live with the consequences."

"How can you help me though it?" Chuck asked.

"A few ways," Sarah said. "If you'll let me. First, now this is your decision. That puts you in charge. That has to help a little. Second, I can tell you how I deal with those feelings. I don't like having to kiss this guy who I can't stand, or to allow him to feel me up any more than you do. So I make it a game. I become an actress playing a role. I turn that smugness around. I laugh at him behind his back. The poor pathetic bastard thinks he's so smooth, thinks he is in control, thinks he has me at the point where I'm about to beg him to fuck my brains out. What he doesn't know is that I'm really thinking how nice it would be to kick his brains out, if he had any… and keep kicking until they oozed out onto the floor. His anticipation is so powerful that he makes the most stupid, fundamental, laughable mistakes to not mess it up. It allows me to lead him around by the nose like cattle to slaughter. I'm standing there secretly snickering at him every time he makes a move. We can make it a joke between us. The moron has no clue. He's a joke, Chuck."

"Okay," Chuck said hopefully. "That actually does help a little. What else you got?"

"Well," Sarah said. "I can share the sense of accomplishment with you. Fulcrum is pure evil. They are looking to control the world. And you're the tool they are searching for to help them. As hard as this is for both of us, stopping them is a very good thing. It's in our own self interests. It's something that has to happen before we can ever talk about a family. Even if it wasn't, if you like it or not, you are a hero. And heroes make sacrifices. But in the grand scheme of things, this is not all that bad of a sacrifice, is it? This particular man has already done and seen far more than anything that's going to happen tomorrow. And our sacrifice in this case saves countless lives, including someday maybe people that you love, me, Ellie, Casey. But that's not the biggest way I can help."

Now Chuck couldn't help the smile from starting to break out. "Okay," he said. "I give. What's the biggest way?"

"Simple," Sarah said with her own smile. "For this one, I need your help. I can make sure that you know how much I love and respect you. And then I can follow that up with a more practical statement. I can help you relax and take that smug look you are so worried about and claim it for your very own while you're watching me on my knees or on the bed with my legs in the air waiting totally for you. I really don't ever see you wanting to fuck my brains out, not your style. But I think you get the idea."

"You're making fun of me," Chuck said. "I'm sorry that I used those crude terms."

"Why are you sorry?" Sarah asked gently. "I'm not making fun of you at all. And those terms may be frank, but they certainly are accurate. Embrace the smug look that's yours. Unlike Seth's, your smug look would be deserved. Because you're getting something that no other man is ever, ever going to get from me… genuine enthusiasm… love. I'll be having the time of my life while knowing that I'm also making the love of my life feel pretty damn good, just like I felt your love when you were making me feel pretty damn good a few minutes ago. And, Chuck, here's the very best part. We're not really going to be doing anything that we didn't do yesterday. We're going to do it again tomorrow… and the next day, and the next week, and the next month, and the next year, and hopefully fifty years from now. The only difference tonight is that first I'm going to make a point of reminding you of something that you already know, that you're my soul mate and I'm happy, eager even to make you feel good. Doesn't that make tomorrow seem pretty insignificant to you? It sure does to me. Seth Roberts can never touch that, wouldn't even understand the concept. And yes, I understand that you're not really comfortable with the idea of using sex to make a point. But this is a special circumstance, don't you agree? Besides, it's an expression of love… just one with an attitude. What's wrong with that?"

"You must think I'm being a baby," Chuck said sadly. "Don't you? You shouldn't have to get on your knees to make a point to me."

"Chuck," Sarah protested. "I so do not think that you're being a baby. At all. Get that thought out of your head right now. You're a hero. Not only that, you're my hero. You've made sacrifices that most people could never imagine. And you're wrong. Even if I wasn't already eager to do this, I should have to do those things. I love you. It's my job to remind you of that in as many ways possible to get you through this. Someday soon it might be your job to get me through something. And when it is, I expect that same consideration. I'll do anything it takes to get you through this. If I seriously didn't think you could handle tomorrow, I wouldn't ask this of you. Besides, what part of me having fun making you feel good didn't you understand? I may not be struggling with this as much as you are, I maybe even wish you could see this for what it really is and be more supportive, but the truth is that I'm not looking forward to tomorrow either. I could never do this, or anything when it really comes down to it, knowing that it was killing you. So what's it going to be? Bunker? Or make him a joke, feel a very real sense of accomplishment, and steal his smug look?"

"We'll try it your way," Chuck sighed with something of a faint but growing grin. "I'm still not happy about this."

"I think that you just made a very good choice," Sarah said in faux seriousness sporting her own grin. "Nobody is asking you to be happy about this. There would be something seriously wrong if you were. All I'm asking is that you try and see it for what it really is and not allow it to drive you crazy. The fact is I'm proud of you. I would give you Bryce's sexy dance strip show as a reward… but I appear to already be naked. So which would you like first? My legs in the air? Or my knees on the carpet?"

Chuck didn't answer at first. He just wrapped his arms around her head and pulled her into a long, loving kiss. "I'm sorry for being like this," he said. "None of this is your fault. You're willing to do this uncomfortable thing for me, for us. I get that. You don't deserve this guilt."

Sarah kissed him again. "Enough with the buzz kill," she said still sporting the grin. "You're supposed to be acting all smug tonight. You have nothing to be sorry about. Last time I'm asking before I make the decision for you. What first, knees or legs?"

"Surprise me."

x-x-x-x-x

Sarah was in the apartment packing her bag for her night with Seth. She was grateful that Casey had already picked up Chuck for work. No matter how much they both enjoyed last night's mini therapy session, Sarah knew that he was struggling with this assignment more than he should and the less reminders of it, the better. Sarah was grateful that there was a briefing before she had to leave for Seth's. It would give her a chance to sneak in a few minutes alone with Chuck to say goodnight. It was important that she make him as comfortable as possible. Everybody had to realize that he hasn't had any training and maybe cut him a bit of slack.

It was easy to forget that she and Casey had the benefit of thousands of hours of training. It was a huge help in dealing with the psychological issues. It was actually very impressive that Chuck was doing as well as he was. Of course, Chuck would say that the CIA training was just brainwashing. Maybe he had something of a point. Sarah made a mental note to tell Chuck how proud she was of him after the briefing. She also smiled as she made a mental note to get a few minutes of serious necking in.

Sarah had everything packed except for her nightgown. It came down to basically two choices, one of her flimsy negligees or the much more conservative one that Chuck had nicknamed the 'granny' nightgown. There was no question which one the spy would choose. Even Agent Walker a week ago wouldn't have had a choice to make. After all, the objective was to keep the mark consumed with lust. Even if it meant showing him a lot of skin. Or, in this case, pretty much all of the skin.

Which of the negligees really didn't matter. They were all pretty much the same, a way to claim you were wearing something while actually being naked. But with Seth, was that even necessary? He was already pretty consumed after all. And it would be a nice detail to be able to tell Chuck that she wore the granny one. That would help. But the last thing that Sarah wanted was to let her personal feelings lead her to bad decisions. That's how you got dead in this business. After all, they were making this sacrifice for a reason. It would be stupid to let a silly detail like allowing Seth to see her boobs, which he had already seen many times anyway, to ruin that. So in frustration, Sarah threw the negligee into her bag.

"Oh well," she said to herself with a groan. "He'll be dead soon anyway."

x-x-x-x-x

Sarah was already in the briefing room when Casey and Chuck arrived. Sarah made sure that she flashed her brightest smile at Chuck and waited for his reaction. She breathed a huge sigh of relief when she saw his broad, if a little tense, smile in return.

"Hi sweetie," Sarah said softly as Chuck sat beside her at the conference table.

"Are you all set?" Chuck asked as he took a big breath.

"Don't worry about a thing," Sarah said softly as he grabbed Chuck's hand under the table where Beckman wouldn't be able to see. "This is just business. Remember last night. He's a joke. It doesn't mean a thing."

Casey took his customary seat at the other end of the table in silence. Casey, being a master at pretending that everyone else in the room was invisible, stayed silent.

When Beckman came online she was, as usual, all business. "All right people," she said sharply. "We have a lot of things to cover and not a lot of time so let's get down to it. Agent Walker, are you still on target to meet with Seth Roberts tonight?"

"Yes, ma'am," Sarah answered crisply.

"Good," Beckman said. "On your printer you will find a packet of information that we've prepared to assist in your cover."

"I have it, ma'am," said Casey as he retrieved the papers from the printer.

"First," Beckman said with a smile as a document appeared on the screen. "Is the Buy More employment application for our new imaginary Romeo, John Mark."

"Let Fulcrum try and track this guy down," Casey said with a laugh. "I wonder how many agents they will assign to that."

"Many, I would guess," Beckman said. "Next, are several photographs that appear to have been taken from the Buy More surveillance system." Several pictures appeared on the screen.

"This first one," said Beckman. "Shows John Mark and Agent Lizzy kissing in the break room. This next one shows then holding hands on the sales floor. And finally, this last one shows them in the home theater room umm, umm…"

"Pretending that they're Morgan and Anna, ma'am," Chuck said as the room erupted in laughter.

"Close enough, Chuck," said Beckman with a smile. "And this last item is an email sent from John Mark to the Service Group email account at the Buy More. It is describing how much John missed everyone and there is a picture attached." When the picture appeared on the screen, Lizzy was obviously present in the background.

"Agent Walker," said Beckman. "This should give you enough information to convince Seth Roberts that Lizzy is alive and well and went off of the grid of her own free will."

"Thank you, ma'am," Sarah said. "Is there anything else?"

"A couple of things, Agent Walker," Beckman said calmly. "First, I agree with your assessment of last night. I would like you to encourage Seth Roberts to set up a personal meeting between you and his Fulcrum superior as soon as possible. Maybe we'll get lucky and net a big fish."

"Yes, ma'am," Sarah said with a smile.

"The other thing is that we did some checking on Laura Carter and she may cause us a problem," Beckman said with the concern evident in her voice.

"Yes, ma'am," Sarah said in a confused voice.

"Unfortunately," Beckman continued. "It turns out that Miss Carter is still active with the CIA. If she has actually defected to Fulcrum, nobody knows yet. That means she still carries her security classification. She is also much higher up the CIA food chain than Seth Roberts ever was. It goes without saying that she is privy to highly classified information including basic knowledge about the Intersect Project. Since she knows you personally, it won't be long before she realizes that your cover story of protecting a foreign diplomat's child doesn't make much sense. She may even be able to find out the association between you and Bryce Larkin."

"I always knew that association would come to no good," Chuck said, more under his breath. Responding to Sarah's dirty look, he flashed a smile. "Hey," he said innocently. "I thought we were treating this like a joke?"

"Yes, ma'am," Sarah said, ignoring Chuck for the moment. "How would you like me to proceed?"

"Fortunately," Beckman said. "We were able to trace the cell call that Roberts made to Miss Carter last night."

"Wait a minute," Casey said in shock. "Begging your pardon ma'am, but this moron made a call from his cell phone? To another undercover agent's cell phone? Of a personal nature? While he was on an active undercover mission?"

"It appears so, Major," Beckman said with a smile. "Seth Roberts' career has been somewhat less than stellar. He has acquired quite a reputation for being sloppy and lazy. For the past several years he had been used mostly for minor courier type assignments. That's probably why he defected to Fulcrum, to jump start his career."

"And you married this guy?" Casey asked with a sly grin as he turned to Sarah. "Gung ho, hard ass, super agent Sarah Walker? Wow! He must have had… other qualities."

Sarah's face was very red, indeed. She looked at the table, obviously embarrassed until Chuck gave her hand a squeeze for encouragement.

"At ease, Major," Beckman said sharply. "But back to the point, since we are able to monitor Agent Carter's cell calls, we can tell if she attempts to tip Seth Roberts off. If she does, we'll have to abort. Is that understood? We all know what that means."

"Yes, ma'am," Sarah said softly.

"We'll reconvene at seven tomorrow morning to debrief and make plans on how to proceed," Beckman said. "Good luck, Agent Walker."

"Thank you, ma'am," said Sarah.

"Are there any questions?" Beckman asked without waiting for a response. "You're dismissed."

As soon as the screen went blank, Sarah shot a look at Casey that screamed for him to leave them alone. Not that Casey needed the look. He was already half way to the stairs. As soon as Casey was out of sight, Sarah slid over and sat in Chuck's lap.

"Hey," Chuck said softly as he kissed Sarah. "A joke, right?"

"Don't worry about me," Sarah said with a smile. "I could take this guy with my eyes closed. You heard Beckman. He is very lazy."

"Yeah," Chuck said with a twinkle in his eye. "But I also heard her say that he was sloppy. That's something I'm hoping that you don't experience tonight, if you know what I mean."

Sarah tried to keep the laugh in. She just couldn't. "What am I going to do with you?" she asked as she giggled helplessly into Chuck's shoulder. "I just need to know that you're going to be okay."

"I'm not going to lie," Chuck said as he kissed Sarah again gently. "I wish you didn't have to do this. I know that you don't either. I'm going to miss you tonight. Even more important, I'm going to worry about you. But I have to admit; a week ago I thought that you were single but in love with Bryce Larkin."

Sarah noticeably winced when Chuck mentioned Bryce. "I've hurt you a lot lately," she said sadly. "Haven't I? I'm sorry. I'm trying so hard not to."

"Hey," Chuck whispered as he held Sarah tightly. "Let me finish. I didn't say that to make you feel badly. I just wanted you to know how lucky I feel. A week ago you were out of my life. And today, with all of our problems, I can trust you with my soul."

"I like my position a lot better now."

x-x-x-x-x

Sarah stood in the hallway of the hotel trying to psych herself up enough to knock on the door.

_What's the big problem?_ After all, she had convinced other marks in the past that she was in love with them. It really wasn't all that hard. They always wanted to believe it was true. She never worried about it before. What was so different about this situation that had her so freaked out? She certainly didn't feel sorry for Seth that was for sure. Reading that transcript just told her what she already knew. He had never really cared for her. That didn't affect her at all.

"That's Seth," Sarah whispered to herself with a grim smile. "He is just looking to get laid."

No, she had to admit that the person she was worried about was Chuck. He was home alone tonight wondering what was happening. And even though he told her he was okay, she could tell that he was worried. She could see it in his eyes. And why wouldn't he be? Maybe she should have made more of an effort from the start to look at it from his point of view. His fiancé was spending the night with her ex husband.

"Actually her not so ex husband," Sarah again whispered to herself with a grimace.

Who could like that? And yet, there he was, putting on a brave face. He was doing that for her, because he thought it would help keep her safe. Suddenly she was consumed by rage. She hated this bastard. Forget the fact that he had betrayed her trust in him and fucked her best friend in her own bed. Forget that he had become a traitor, joined the very organization she had been fighting against her whole life. He was hurting Chuck. That was a capital offense.

And in that instant, she knew how she was going to get through this. She had to do it to protect him. But also she could look forward to seeing the bullet land between his eyes. Fuck going through the hassle of getting the stupid marriage annulled. She would take matters into her own hands and make herself a widow. She would end this bastard.

She also knew that she had to calm down a little. Hothead Agent Walker wasn't going to make this guy so inflamed that he would switch off his brain, what little brain he had anyway, sexy Sarah was. Suddenly she remembered her advice to Chuck. Seth Roberts was a joke, not even a particularly clever one. It was good advice… even if she did say so herself. It made it not seem quite so bad.

So with a silly grin on her face, Sarah stepped up to the door. As she knocked on the door a comforting thought raced through mind. It would be the last time for quite a few hours that she would be able to indulge in that thought so she was going to enjoy it as much as she could.

_Chuck Bartowski loves me._

x-x-x-x-x


	6. The Agent and the Nerd

_This is not an original story. It was written during the middle of season 2. The original story assumed a sequel that never happened. So there will be some brand new content in this rewrite and several new chapters at the end._

_I still don't own Chuck._

_If you enjoyed this or any of the stories on this site, please take a second and send the author a review. It only takes a second – and it really, really makes a difference. That's probably more important than ever now that the series has ended. If you want to keep the Chuck fandom alive and continue to read about these characters, you really need to think about rewarding the people whose hard work make that possible._

**The Agent and the Nerd**

x-x-x-x-x

As Seth opened the door, he took in the sight of Sarah standing there. "Damn," he said with a sigh. "You can look hot in anything." _Tonight's the night that I get with that_.

Sarah forced the dazzling smile on her face, the one that always made men rock hard in some places and soft as putty in others. "Hi, Seth," she said as she walked in the door he was holding open for her. "Did you miss me?"

Instead of answering, Seth grabbed Sarah in his arms and pressed his lips to hers. Sarah only let the kiss go for a couple of moments before she pulled back.

First it was time to take care of business. "I guess so," Sarah said with a laugh. "Hold on a minute, tiger. At least let me put my bag down. We have all night for that."

Seth grabbed Sarah's bag from her hand and placed it on the end table and quickly kissed her again. This time, after a few moments, his hand drifted towards the front of Sarah's blouse.

Fortunately, Sarah's genuine annoyed tone was appropriate for this circumstance. "Damn it, Seth," she snapped as she broke his kiss and stepped away. "Can you keep that little man in your pants under control for ten minutes? I have something to show you."

"I have something to show you too," Seth said as he smiled seductively. "And I've got news for you. He's not that little. And he's getting bigger. Maybe it's time that I reintroduced you."

Again Sarah's laugh was genuine. Seth Roberts was nothing if not totally predictable. "I don't think that will be necessary at this time," she said. "I remember what he looks like."

"It may not be necessary for you," Seth said as he grabbed Sarah around the waist and pulled her close. "But it sure as hell is necessary for him. He's dying in there. He needs a kiss. And me too, by the way."

Well that was disgusting… so annoyed Sarah was quickly back. "Stop," she said firmly as she broke away and grabbed a manila folder from her bag. "Seth, do you want to be a hero here? I'm not really in the best mood. I've been up all night doing the work that you should have been doing. Now, do you want to see what I have for you or not?"

x-x-x-x-x

Laura Carter was lying in bed silently counting his thrusts and accompanied grunts until it was time for her next moan. She was growing tired of this assignment. Who wouldn't?

Getting close to a small time drug runner by becoming his trophy fuck toy and talking him into taking her with him on his next trip south so she could find out who the cartel supplier was and execute him would have normally been a plum assignment… for a first year up-and-coming agent. After all, he was based in Miami. The weather was great. The hotel they spend a lot of time in was luxury all the way. Whenever you wanted there was always a pile of the highest quality coke known to man available, not Laura's thing, but a lot of young agents would sure feel differently. There was even a private yacht they spent most of their time on, out into the ocean in international waters where she could work on her tan.

But she wasn't a first year agent. She was in the top echelon of all agents. If Laura Carter was going to fuck someone twice a night for her country, it should be a prince or a rogue General in charge of nuclear weapons, right? Not this small time dude. Hello? Didn't anyone remember her mission to single handedly save the Greece government? Apparently this particular low-life cartel had run afoul of some very influential people to get an agent the caliber of Laura Carter assigned to it.

But actually Laura had to admit, this 'small time dude' wasn't all that bad of a fuck, at least compared to the norm in his profession. Most of them were rough bastards who treated you like a piece of meat and made you walk around naked all the time hanging on their arm. Not that he was a misunderstood gentle and loving soul or anything. This was a bloodthirsty drug runner. If she blew her cover, he would take great pleasure in torturing her to death as painfully as possible, tape the last few horrible hours of her life, and send the tape to the CIA as a warning. After all, the poor guy had professional standards to uphold.

But in his defense, it could be and often was much worse. He did always use a condom, wasn't into whips and pain, always took her into the privacy of the bedroom away from the others, didn't demand that she hit her knees to blow one of his workers as a reward anytime they did a good job. All of those things were a distinct possibility in this type of assignment. Oh, and the most important perk… he could fuck and stay rock hard for an uncommonly, unbelievably impressive long time. That never happened. That fact alone passed for a rookie's plum assignment in the spy business.

This was the worst phase of this kind of assignment. The second month was always the hardest. He didn't quite trust her enough yet to take her with him… this group was clearly a particularly suspicious lot. But she was in the inner circle enough so that she had no way to refuse him anything anytime he wanted it.

The anything was sex. Fortunately he was fairly unimaginative sexually. Mostly he just wanted good old tried and true missionary position fucking. That was actually a very good thing for two reasons. First, he was very good at the fundamentals, why get fancy? Second, she dreaded the few times that he would demand something else. Make no mistake. Laura had no issues fundamentally with the idea of delivering a quick blowjob every once in a while. In fact she preferred it in many ways. It normally allowed her to control the agenda. But this guy was something else. His endurance became a distinct liability in that case as she had no choice but to stay down there for what seemed like a fucking hour making her neck stiff and her jaw ache.

That left the anytime. And in this case the anytime was literally anytime, absolutely any time of the day or night, including waking her up at four in the fucking morning more than once. And he wanted it… a lot, never less than twice every night. The man had an almost insatiable sex drive. In that way he was kinda like Seth. He clearly didn't believe in silly notions like foreplay. None of them did… another clear resemblance to Seth. But all he mostly asked of her was to lie there submissively with her knees up while he pounded her. He was more than willing to do all of the heavy lifting. And at least he usually lasted long enough so that she could get herself warmed up enough to think about some of the good times with Seth and seek some occasional satisfaction when the mood struck her.

It was a nice talent to be sure. Not that it was going to prolong his life expectancy any. Laura had already seen enough of his cruelty and just plain viciousness. When you took your enemy, tied their hands behind their back, and dragged them behind a car for a few miles, the bloody, lifeless lump that was left no longer looked like a person. So she was going to take a fair amount of pleasure in ending this lowlife prick the very second she could. But at least she got some small amount of pleasure out of the deal. That hardly ever happened on missions. If she could only meet someone like this that wasn't a scum of the earth type, she'd have someone to work with. Imagine the things she could teach Mr. Rock Hard here, if only he was willing to learn. Some nights that thought alone was enough to get her juices really flowing.

Not tonight though. She was far too consumed by Seth's last phone call. The moron simply had to stop calling her cell just to chat when she was on a mission. Okay, yes, it was nice to hear his voice. She missed him too. But it simply wasn't done. Someday that was going to cause a real problem. But he said he was with Sarah. There was just something that didn't ring true about the picture he was painting. She still thought they were married? Wanted to get back together? Was agreeing to possibly even climbing back in his bed? That wasn't the hothead Sarah Walker that she knew and loved.

So her latest moan was a few strokes late, and came out more like a sigh. If he noticed he didn't say anything. He just grunted a little harder as he kept pumping away. Yes, she said it. She loved Sarah, always had, honestly felt horrible for the way things ended, even missed her best friend terribly. But the thought of her with Seth… that didn't feel right.

Fortunately her mark was leaving in a couple of days and would be gone for a couple of weeks. That would give her enough time to get out to the coast and find out what in the hell was going on here for herself.

She was so consumed by her thoughts that she almost missed the long groan and intensity of his thrusts markedly increase, which were always his way of telling her that he was about done. Sure enough, a few seconds later he rolled off her allowing her to rest her legs. A good thing because the left hip was starting to cramp a little from holding her knees in the air for so long. She reached over and kissed him while he was panting for breath. "Thanks," she said. "That was the best ever. How can you possibly last so long? I'm so lucky. You're the biggest stud around."

_Okay, come on, dude. Seriously. Were you actually buying any of this? How could every single time be the best ever? Do the fucking math in your head. And the biggest stud around? Hardly._ But men like this ate that crap up. So even though he didn't answer, he clearly thought so too.

She knew from experience that he wasn't into much kissing after round two, or conversation for that matter. He'd just want to catch his breath and go to sleep… which actually suited Laura fine. She had other things to worry about. "You're still leaving in two days?" she asked with a pout. "How am I going to possibly live without you fucking me for two whole weeks? Are you sure I can't go with you? Please? I'll make it so much fun for you." What the hell? Might as well take a shot, right? Maybe she'd get lucky. After all, that would end the assignment.

"Not this time," was all he said. "Soon."

There was no way to argue. Pissing him off would… well, it would be bad. "Okay," she sighed as she thought about the best way to check out what Sarah was up to these days. She had friends that would know. Two days plus another to get out there? That would work. "I'll just go to the store and stock up on batteries," she sighed.

He didn't catch her shot. He was already snoring.

x-x-x-x-x

Seth actually examined the material in the folder that Sarah handed him. That alone was a little surprising. "How did you get this stuff anyway?" he asked in amazement.

"Well, Seth," Sarah said, making no effort to keep the condescending tone from her voice. "I did what an agent would do. I did what you should have done. I took the picture of Agent Lizzy that you gave me and scanned it. Then I went backwards through the Buy More surveillance video using the CIA face recognition software looking for the last time she had been there. It turned out, that was in January."

"Very impressive," Seth said with a smile.

"Thanks," Sarah said shaking her head. That impressed him? "It's actually pretty basic stuff. Then I went back a couple of weeks and found these and many more instances of her and this John Mark guy. They were obviously all over each other. It was actually kind of sweet. So I accessed the Buy More personnel system and printed a copy of his employment application."

"What about the email?" Seth asked.

"Again, standard procedure," Sarah said flatly. "I was doing a routine scan of the Buy More Exchange email system when I came across this message from him. You can clearly see Lizzy in the background. It is obvious that she went off the grid with this John Mark. That was almost a year ago so who knows where they might be. They are long gone. If you're interested in finding this Lizzy, you'll need to track them down."

Seth kept going back to the picture of them making love in the Home Theater room. "Don't they know that there is a camera in there?" Seth asked with a gleam in his eye.

"Apparently not," Sarah said with a smile. "I have to watch my spoiled rich kid in there with her boyfriend about three times a week. It makes me lose my appetite. The good news is that I've lost ten pounds."

"Why did you do all of this?" Seth asked softly.

Sarah paused for a long moment for effect. This was the key moment in all of this stupid charade. She had to sell this or the whole deal was off. "Isn't it obvious?" she asked. "I did it for you, Seth. I did it for us. Maybe now we can go someplace and start over. Are you really going to make me say it? I did it because I love you."

Seth went to grab Sarah again but was stopped by her hand on his chest.

"Come on, Seth,' Sarah said in an exasperated voice. "Can't you seriously be an agent for ten more minutes? You really need to report this information. It's time for you to think about your career for a minute. It's time to be a hero."

As Seth picked up his cell phone, Sarah walked to the door.

"Where are you going?" Seth asked.

Sarah had to fight to keep in the groan. Seth Roberts was really the worst fucking agent on the planet, wasn't he? Did he really not have a clue about this procedure? "I'm going to take a walk," she replied as she shook her head sadly. "You really need to be secure when you report. You might get an order. I'll be back in twenty minutes."

"One thing that I don't understand about this," Seth said slowly. "Are we to believe that this sexy, sophisticated agent went off the grid because she fell for a nerd working in a Buy More? Isn't that quite a stretch?"

Sarah quickly turned towards the door so that Seth would not be able to see her face because she could feel the tears forming in her eyes. "Trust me, Seth," she said softly as she opened the door.

"It happens."

x-x-x-x-x

Sarah was actually gone for a little more than twenty minutes. She was power walking around the grounds, getting rid of some nervous energy, and frankly debating how to proceed. She hadn't been exaggerating at all when she told Chuck that spending the night with Seth would take their odds from 10% to 90%. That was her honest opinion at the time. But she had to admit this was going very well. He was totally buying it. The odds had now improved markedly. So much so that maybe his superiors might buy it as well. If that happened, she didn't need to spend the night. And oh, the look on Chuck's face if she was to walk into that hotel room and tell him it was over. She would kill to be able to do that… quite literally.

But then reality set in. There was probably no way to get out of it now without raising suspicions. And that's the last thing she wanted to do. No, the safe thing was to stick to the original plan and get Seth to set something up with his Fulcrum boss. It was best to not get her hopes up then want it so much that she be tempted to make a stupid mistake. But at least she wouldn't have to put up with anything physical from Seth tonight. More important, she would be able to tell that to Chuck. So she forced herself to calm down as she walked down the hallway to Seth's room. As she walked up to the door, she took a deep breath, put on her dazzling smile, and knocked on the door.

By the grin on Seth's face as he opened the door, Sarah could immediately tell that his conversation had gone well. "Great news, baby," he said as he picked Sarah up and twirled her around excitedly. "My assignment is over. I have to report back to Vegas in the morning."

That wasn't great news. It was more like fantastic. "What did they say?" Sarah asked expectantly. This time the anticipation in her voice wasn't an act.

"It was so great," Seth said in a gush of emotion. "He told me that was the most competent mission that he had heard of in a long while. He told me that he was proud of me. He's never said that to me before. He said that I was being wasted and that they had some bigger things in store."

Sarah didn't want to burst his bubble. He was so proud. Well, okay, she would have loved, loved, loved to burst this prick's bubble. It just didn't fit her mission. But nobody would gush so much over this small of an accomplishment. He was being patronized for some other reason. "That's great," Sarah said with a smile. "Congratulations, baby. I'm so proud of you."

At least Seth did one thing right. "I owe a lot of it to you," he said as he took Sarah into his arms. "We make a great team. We always have." At that, Seth pressed his mouth to Sarah's for a very hungry kiss. Or at least he tried to anyway.

Sarah didn't allow the hungry part to last for more than a couple of seconds. She was expecting his hand to slide inside her blouse. So she was there waiting for it and grabbed his hand well before it got very close. There would be no second base action tonight to have to explain to Chuck. It was now time to set up phase two, the phase that would maybe make all of this angst worth it. For the first time she could see a way out of this, one that even Chuck would wholeheartedly approve of.

"Baby," Sarah said with a shy smile. Sarah Walker would rather poke her own eye out with a stick rather than call anybody baby. But that's what he liked.

"Can we talk for a minute?"

x-x-x-x-x

Chuck knew that he needed to do something to take his mind off Sarah. So he decided to go to Ellie's and pick up some more of his things. As he walked into her apartment, Ellie and Devon were sitting on the couch.

"Chuck," called Ellie in a happy voice as she got up to embrace him. "Hi. It's so good to see you. Where's Sarah?"

Chuck hated to lie to his sister. "She is at a meeting for work," Chuck said with a smile. That really wasn't a lie. "She wanted me to tell you how sorry she is that she couldn't see you." Again, not a lie.

"Aww," Ellie said with a smile. "Tell her I said that's sweet."

"You know, sis," Chuck said with a genuine laugh. "I think that the only reason she's marrying me is to become your sister."

"And don't you ever forget it," Ellie gloated with a laugh. "Chuck, I love her so much. When are we going out on the town to celebrate? Her ankle must be feeling better."

"Yeah," Chuck replied thoughtfully. "It is feeling quite a bit better."

"But I think that she is going to stay off it tonight."

x-x-x-x-x

Seth groaned as he reluctantly dropped the hand that Sarah had kept just inches away from her perfect chest. "What do you want to talk about?" he asked with a huge sigh.

"I need you to be honest with me," Sarah said softly as she led Seth to the couch and sat down beside him.

Seth nodded his head to let Sarah know to continue.

"The intelligence group that sent you here on this mission," Sarah said. "It's Fulcrum, isn't it?"

Seth was clearly trying to charm his way out of this. "Why would you say that?" he asked with a smile.

"Come on Seth," Sarah said with a large disgusted breath. "Please be honest with me here. Is it?"

"Yes," Seth finally admitted calmly. "It is. Does that bother you?"

Sarah got up and walked to the other side of the room for effect. "No, Seth," she finally responded softly. "It doesn't. As a matter of fact, I'm hoping that you will put in a good word for me. What would it take to talk you into doing that? I'd be very appreciative. I'd do anything you ask to pay you back."

"Anything?" Seth asked, clearly surprised by the offer.

"Within reason," Sarah said. "Try me."

"Come on, Sarah," Seth said. "You know what I was always asking for."

Sarah did know. She absolutely knew that sex was the currency that Seth preferred. He was the exact opposite of Chuck. She also knew the specifics of what he would ask for. She knew it before she asked. Now this making it a joke thing between her and Chuck was becoming a little fun. "Okay," she said. "Just so we understand each other, that's a skill that I've worked hard to improve. I think you're going to find that I'm now quite good at it. How many times on my knees are we talking about before we're even?"

Wow. Seth didn't know what to say. He was thinking he'd be lucky if she'd do it once. It was like pulling teeth to get her to do it in the first place. And speaking of teeth, they often came into play. She definitely had some technique issues that hopefully had been corrected. But here she was, asking how many he wanted. It was like money raining down from heaven. How many should he ask for? But Fortes fortuna adiuvat. It meant 'Fortune favors the bold'. It was the only French he knew. "I'm sticking my neck out a mile here for you, Sarah. I'm thinking ten times, of my choosing."

Sarah couldn't keep the snicker in. She actually had to cough a little to cover it. That was Seth all the way… all balls. But it would be fun playing him. "Okay," Sarah said quickly. "That would probably take a couple of weeks. I can do ten, that's fair."

_Damn, she agreed far too quickly_. "Wait," he said. "I wasn't finished. I need your best effort. You have to get naked creatively to get me in the mood. And after the ten times, I get one whole day of my choosing where I call every shot. I get your full, enthusiastic participation with absolutely nothing off the table."

The sparkle in Sarah's eyes was genuine for three reasons. First, it was funny watching the wheels turning in this moron's head as he tried to press his advantage, almost jumping out of his skin in anticipation. Second, get him in the mood? He woke up in the mood, went to sleep in the mood, and was in the mood at all points in between. Third, there was no way to keep Chuck from reading the transcript of this conversation even if she wanted to. The bug she had planted was picking up every word. And she didn't want to hide anything from him… but she could already see the look on his face. The idea of using sex as currency and bartering it so plainly would horrify him. She would definitely have some splaining to do. "Are your demands finished now?" she asked with a grin.

Seth nodded. "Absolutely nothing off the table," he repeated.

Sarah had to fight to keep from laughing. She knew exactly what he was thinking. Seth was going to talk Laura into joining them. Disgusting, but what the hell, it was never going to happen anyway. "Okay," she finally agreed. "Seth, you're asking for a lot. I think I know what you have in mind. I've still never done that… I would have to force myself. But baby I really need this. So okay, you have a deal. Set me up with Fulcrum and you get me on my knees giving you my very best effort for ten times of your choosing and one full day of nothing off the table. Do you think Fulcrum would be interested in me?"

"Sarah," Seth said skeptically. "Tell me something. Why on earth would you want to join Fulcrum? You're the top agent in the CIA."

"Look around," Sarah said sarcastically. "I have been babysitting a spoiled rich kid for the past year. My career is long over. I'm so sick of the agency. I've learned a lot. It's not the agency that I signed up for. It's corrupt, Seth. You wouldn't believe how corrupt it is."

Seth smiled at Sarah to continue.

"I'm so tired of it," Sarah said with a cry. "I signed up to make a difference. That's not happening. Maybe it can happen with Fulcrum. I need somebody on the inside to vouch for me. Will you help me, Seth?"

"I guess this means that we're not getting back together," Seth said.

"I still love you," Sarah said. "If that's what you're asking. But let's be honest with each other. There is no way for two Fulcrum Agents to be married. I've done a lot of thinking about this. And I know now that I'm not upset with you about the sex with Laura."

"You're not?" Seth asked in amazement.

"No, Seth," Sarah said. "I'm not. I realize now that it's just asking too much for an agent to be married and monogamous. I wouldn't be able to do it either. There are simply too many temptations we run into on the job, too many lonely nights, too many hot guys romancing you. What bothered me is the sneaking around. If we can cut that out, I think I can make you a deal."

"I'm listening," Seth said expectantly.

"Okay, Seth," Sarah said seductively with a sly smile. "I realize that I've been sort of a prude when it comes to sex. I was young and didn't know what I was doing. You tried to teach me but I fought you. I don't blame you for being frustrated and seeking out someone like Laura who was more experienced. But as long as I can trust you, I'm willing for us to be together when it works out. Sort of like you were with Laura. And when we're together, I'll dedicate myself to showing you how much I've learned. Call it an open marriage, call it friends with benefits, even call it fuck buddies if you want. Would you like that?"

"You're kidding," Seth said once he could get the words out of his mouth. "Right? I mean, who are you and what have you done with Sarah?"

"I'm competitive," Sarah said with a laugh. "You've always known that about me. And no, Seth, I'm not kidding. I should have relaxed and let you teach me more. I can't believe what I've been missing. But I've been practicing. The truth is that I've grown up. I'll bet I'm more open about sex now than you or Laura are. I'll even bet that I enjoy it more than you do. My career with the CIA was ruined because I wouldn't party with the higher ups outside of missions. I don't intend on making that same mistake with Fulcrum. I want you to make sure that you let your Fulcrum contact know that I'm going to be willing to do anything to make a good first impression, as you would say… nothing off the table. I really want this. I assume you don't mind."

"Of course not," Seth said with a sly smile. "It would actually be great for my career to deliver such a hot babe. Besides, I can't wait to see you in action. You are the sexiest thing on two legs. You do know what he'll be expecting?"

"I think that I have a pretty good idea," Sarah said. "Tell him that he'll get his money's worth."

"Sounds good," Seth said as he stood up and walked over to Sarah. "So about my payment, how about the first installment right now?

Sarah just shook her head with a grin. "You drove a hard bargain," she said. "You'll get every single one. You know that I always keep my word. I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't even looking forward to it at some level. But you have to earn it. I really want this opportunity. I need you burning with anticipation until you've delivered." She walked over and picked up her bag.

"Where are you going?" Seth asked. "I thought you were going to spend the night?"

"I'm leaving," Sarah said. "You're not getting payment until you deliver me a meeting. If I climb into that bed tonight, you're going to talk me into it. Besides, I need a couple of days to prepare to drop off the grid. Where should I meet you in Vegas?"

"I'm staying at the Monte Carlo," Seth said with a disappointed look. "Why can't you just come with me tonight?"

"Seth," Sarah said as if she was talking to a small child. "I need to take care of some things here. If I go off the grid now, they'll catch me. You don't want that, right? Leave me a key at the front desk. I'll see you in two days, three tops."

"One other thing," Sarah said as she walked to the door. "When you set up the meeting with your Fulcrum contact, please don't tell them the name Sarah Walker."

"Okay," Seth said thoughtfully. "But why?"

"Sarah Walker has a reputation," Sarah said sadly. "One I really don't want to live with any more. She is an uptight hard ass who doesn't know how to have a good time. She's also had a few run-ins with Fulcrum, probably has some people who would like to take a shot at her. I'm going to be Sarah Anderson now. Please let him know that Sarah Anderson is quite the party girl. She wants to do anything it takes to make a good first impression, and a second, and if he's up to it, maybe a third."

"What am I going to do tonight?" Seth asked sadly. "Come on, Sarah. Help me out here. I'm on fire."

Sarah really didn't have to take a long look. The bulge in his pants was pretty obvious. She had to resist the temptation to do a fist pump. This had worked out perfectly. So she picked up the television remote and placed it firmly in the middle of his chest. "I can see that," she said with a giggle. "As soon as I get a meeting, I'll put out your fire. Until then, I have four words for you. Pay per view movie."

Seth watched sadly as the door closed behind her. Like he really couldn't think of watching porn all on his own.

"I should have asked her for fifty."

x-x-x-x-x

Chuck was in bed alone looking at the ceiling. He knew that he should be worried about Sarah's safety. And he was, horribly. He also knew that he should trust her, and he did. But he couldn't help wondering what she was doing at that moment. The very thought made him shake.

He suddenly realized that this was the first time that he had been alone in this bed. It was Sarah's bed after all. And this was the first night she had not been there with him.

"I miss her," he said sadly to himself as he continued to stare at the ceiling.

"That's sweet, a little sad, but very, very sweet. I missed you too. But I've only been gone for a couple of hours."

When Chuck looked over, oh my God. How did he not hear her come in? He quickly jumped off the bed to face her. "How are you here?" he asked, still stunned to see her.

Suddenly Chuck was flat on his back, back on the bed, his beautiful blonde goddess on top of him, raining fairly sloppy kisses all over his face. "There has been a change in plans," she finally was able to get out between kisses. "Contrary to popular opinion a good agent is not always on her back, you know? She's also taught to think on her feet."

"So," Chuck said hopefully. "Are you here for the night?"

"No, Chuck," Sarah said as she put her hand on his stomach and slowly slid into his sweat pants until she was holding a handful of suddenly alert little Bartowski. "I'm not here for the night."

"I'm here for the rest of my life."

x-x-x-x-x

_A/N: Yeah, I understand that 'Fortes Fortuna Adiuvat' or 'Fortune favors the bold' is Latin not French. Seth is an idiot, lol._


	7. Sisters

_This is not an original story. It was written during the middle of season 2. The original story assumed a sequel that never happened. So there will be some brand new content in this rewrite and several new chapters at the end._

_I still don't own Chuck._

_If you enjoyed this or any of the stories on this site, please take a second and send the author a review. It only takes a second – and it really, really makes a difference. That's probably more important than ever now that the series has ended. If you want to keep the Chuck fandom alive and continue to read about these characters, you really need to think about rewarding the people whose hard work make that possible._

**Sisters**

x-x-x-x-x

Sarah was having such a good time. She was actually in the last place she would have predicted tonight, sitting in a bar with her soon to be sister-in-law having a drink and sharing funny stories.

Okay, so maybe she was feeling a little guilty. She wanted to spend the rest of the night with Chuck, making him forget Seth Roberts even existed… and if that went well, maybe his own name. But Chuck insisted. This was Ellie's night off. Besides, he wasn't expecting Sarah to be home tonight anyway. So he had promised Morgan they could hang out. And it was still early. There was plenty of time to have a couple of drinks with Ellie and still get some forgetting time in with Chuck later.

And one thing was for sure. If Morgan was coming over, Sarah really didn't want to be there. She didn't dislike Morgan. Not really. It was more like discomfort than dislike. But his bizarre connection to Chuck was, well, bizarre. She was absolutely not jealous of him. Well, okay. Maybe she was just a little. But it was more uncomfortable than jealous. Morgan had never been in her room before. Chuck promised that he would make an honest effort to keep him from going through her clothes. But he was just teasing, right? _Oh God, let him be teasing._

Fortunately being with Ellie quickly drove any lingering thoughts of Morgan examining her collection of panties away. They simply shared a bond. Sarah quickly found that she could actually relax around her. And that was something that simply never happened to Agent Walker. Their conversation turned quickly into more like giggling. No matter what they talked about, Sarah invariably found herself laughing so hard that her sides hurt.

And they talked about the same thing that best friends always talked about… men and clothes, but mostly men. Well, two men particularly. Of course Sarah was at a disadvantage. Whenever the conversation got at all intimate Ellie would cover her ears and make funny noises so that she couldn't hear. That never failed to initiate another session of giggling.

Okay, yes, so they were hit on… a lot. But really, did they expect anything else? Two beautiful women sitting alone in a bar was simply too inviting of a target to pass up. Sarah was so used to being hit on in bars that she barely noticed it. Ellie certainly had been hit on before. But she was clearly surprised by the increased intensity that being with Sarah Walker brought. They had so many drinks sent to them that they quickly had a line of many more than they could possibly drink. Fortunately only a very few of the men were actually so bold as to try and come over and join them. Even more fortunately, it turned out that Sarah was something of an expert at gently but firmly thanking them for the drink then letting them know there was zero interest in anything further. They almost always got the message, which was fortunate for them. Sarah Walker rejection phase two wasn't very pretty.

Sarah was torn as they left the club. She was having such a good time with Ellie that she didn't want it to end so soon. But Chuck was waiting for her. She probably should have been more aware as they walked to the alley where they had parked. It's just that she was having such a relaxed time. Threats didn't seem possible. But she knew something was wrong the instant that she saw the man leaning against her car. For one thing, who would be so stupid as to touch her Porsche? Brain dead, right?

Sure enough, two of his buddies jumped out of the shadows.

Mr. Brain Dead pulled out a knife. "Nice car," he sneered. "I'll take the keys… and your purses."

Naturally Ellie's eyes became saucers as she tried to back away from the knife as far as possible.

Sarah, on the other hand, was busy with other thoughts. _Sonofabitch, did that moron just put fingerprints on my car?_ So she turned to him. "You're not holding that knife correctly," she said calmly.

Ellie was clearly trying to take charge and protect her younger sister. "Sarah," she hissed. "What are you doing? Just give him what he asks for."

Sarah turned to Ellie. "But he's not holding it right," she insisted with a calm smile. Then she turned back to the man. "You're not holding it right. You're going to get hurt holding it that way. If you're intent on being a small time hood, at least try and be a competent one."

The mugger was clearly impressed with Sarah's attempt at career counseling and was also plainly very interested in hearing her advice. "Shut the fuck up, bitch," he snarled as he brandished the knife menacingly. "Just give me the purse and the keys."

Suddenly the knife was clanging down the alley courtesy of a Sarah Walker kick. "See," she said. "I tried to tell you. You were holding it wrong. I'm not really the kind of person who says 'I told you so' but…"

Normally Sarah would have followed up her first kick with a second one to his jaw, ending his night. But this bastard was scaring Ellie. And he put his greasy hands all over her sparkling glass. That couldn't be allowed to stand. So she allowed his two buddies to relatively easily grab her arms.

"Damn," the mugger said as he vigorously shook his hand in pain. "That hurt. You shouldn't have done that." He reached back to throw a punch at her that would have been devastating… had it landed. And after all, she was being held in place by his two buddies.

This small time punk had never heard of Sarah Walker. That on its own wasn't all that unusual, most hadn't. But it also meant he would have no way of knowing that her favorite fighting weapons were not her arms which the men had secured. It was her legs which were foolishly left totally free. He was also unfortunately unaware of the physics involved, probably didn't even know what physics meant. So he didn't realize that Sarah was going to be able to use the two men holding her as leverage. At least he didn't realize it until she had landed an absolutely devastating kick deep into his groin that had five times the power had she been standing on her own. Naturally, his knowledge came a beat too late and he went down in a howling heap, the pain in his hand suddenly forgotten, and his night of mischief over.

Sarah quickly brought her heel down into the ankle of the man on her right. Of course he dropped her arm like a hot potato. That left the man on her left, well… pretty much screwed. He had a hold of Sarah's left arm with both of his. With her right arm free and no way to block her punch, the right fist directly to his eye sent him to the pavement not really knowing where he was.

That left the only man remaining upright… sorta anyway. He was still hopping up and down on his one good foot. Sarah's kick directly under his ribcage sent him down for the count with no other thought than trying to breathe.

The fight, if you could call it that, had lasted for a grand total of about fifteen seconds. Sarah just turned calmly to Ellie who was standing there with her mouth hanging open. "Are you ready?"

x-x-x-x-x

As soon as they were in the car and the adrenaline from the fight began to wear off, Sarah kicked herself. Now she had to explain this to Ellie, who was still just sitting there staring at her in wonder. Maybe she could make it a joke. "Those self defense classes really paid off," she said.

No sale.

"Bullshit," Ellie said firmly but with no sense of anger. "Don't even try it, Sarah. I took self defense classes. I was the best one in my class. And I couldn't begin to do what you just did. When are you going to tell me?"

Sarah tried to play dumb. "Tell you what?" she asked.

"Come on, sweetie," Ellie said, probably a little more frustration coming across than she really intended. "We're best friends, right? We're going to soon be sisters. If you don't trust me enough to tell me why a beautiful girl who drives a Porsche and fights like a ninja is pretending to work in a yogurt shop, fair enough. Just tell me that. My feelings might be a little hurt. I'll be disappointed in you. But please don't insult me by expecting me to believe this steaming pile at face value."

Sarah sighed to herself. This was the worst thing that could have happened. Blowing her cover to Ellie put her mission at risk. Beckman would be furious. It might even make Ellie less safe. But she was absolutely right. Ellie was practically her sister. Maybe it was time to start acting like it. "Okay, Ellie," she finally said. "I can't tell you everything. But I will tell you enough to let you know that I trust you. Before I begin, I just want to get something on the table. I need you to trust me a little as well. I'm looking out for you here. There is a really good reason I haven't been honest with you. I really need you to let me finish before you get angry. And, Ellie, I fully expect you to get angry. Deal?"

Ellie just nodded, clearly surprised by Sarah's tone.

"One other thing," Sarah continued. "I'm committing a felony by telling you any of this. You'd be committing that same felony telling anybody else. I'm not so naïve to think that you're not going to tell Devon some of it. But it's vital, not only to national security, but to your, Devon's and especially Chuck's safety that no one learns what I'm going to tell you."

That actually got a smile. "Okay," Ellie said. "I get it. You're making fun of me here. Just how is being a hooker vital to national security? My safety? Is your pimp coming after me?"

That broke some of the tension in the car. "I'm not a hooker," Sarah replied with a laugh. "Although I understand that sometimes it might look like it. Trust me. You're not the first person to call me a hooker. But they usually say whore." She handed Ellie her ID.

Ellie skeptically looked at the ID for a long moment. "Is this real?" she finally asked. "You're in the CIA? Since when?"

"I've been with the Agency for about ten years," Sarah replied calmly. "I was recruited out of High School."

"What are you doing here in Burbank?"

Sarah took a deep breath. That was the real question wasn't it? "My initial assignment was to control and protect Chuck," she said. "To justify my always being with him, I assumed the role of his girlfriend."

Ellie took a moment to carefully parse what Sarah was saying. "Initial assignment?" she asked. "So your relationship with Chuck is fake? I don't believe that. What is your assignment now? Protect him from what?"

Sarah couldn't help but smile at the perceptiveness of Ellie's questions. "There were actually several questions there," she said. "Where to start? I'm not trying to double speak you, Ellie. But I'll admit it's complicated. My relationship with Chuck started off fake. No sense in trying to deny that. It hasn't been fake for a while now but it also wasn't openly admitted. By the way, an agent being in love with her assignment, that's completely against the rules. Remember in your kitchen a few days ago? I was being punished, was ordered to tell Chuck that I was in love with someone else so another agent could take over for me and get close to him. That's why I was so messed up for a few days. As of that day, I no longer have a current assignment. Technically, I'm still an agent. I'm still going to protect Chuck. But as soon as the threat to Chuck is resolved, I'm resigning and we're going to be married. It was a tough sell. It's not the kind of job that you're normally allowed to resign from. But my superiors already know how I feel. Protect him from what? I'm not going to tell you any specifics. It would be a long story and you wouldn't believe me anyway. Let's just say that Chuck has a very unique skill. In fact he is the only person in the world with this skill. There are organizations that would seek to capture him and force him to use that skill against his will. I'm here to make sure that doesn't happen."

"Is Chuck in danger?"

Sarah though for a moment on how to answer that one. She didn't want to freak Ellie out any more than she was already. But the last thing she was going to do was to be dishonest to her in any way. That day was past. So she finally settled for the truth. "I guess that depends on how you'd define danger," she said. "This organization is actively looking for him. If they captured him, it would be horrible beyond imagination, for him, for us, and for the country. When they finally killed him they would be doing him a favor. But don't worry, Ellie. I'm not going to ever let that happen."

"How are you going to stop them?" Ellie asked skeptically. "I mean, I understand that you can handle yourself. But you're making it sound like there is a whole organization after him."

"I'm not alone," Sarah said. "And they don't know that it's Chuck that they're after. If they ever find out, he wouldn't be able to survive long. That's why it's so critically vital that no one hears about this. That's why we've demanded that he stay working at the Buy More. An underachieving nerd working in a Buy More is the last place they'd suspect."

"So Chuck is not an underachieving nerd working in a Buy More," she said. The relief in her voice was plain.

That got an even bigger smile. "No, Ellie," Sarah said. "He is most definitely not. That's the good news. He is a hero, one of the biggest in the country's history. There are so many things that I wish I could tell you, but trust me. If you knew you'd be just as proud of him as I am. He's saved countless lives, including both of ours."

That got a smile from Ellie. "You really are lovesick aren't you?"

Sarah actually had to pause for a moment to gather her composure. She reached over and grabbed her best friend's hand. "I honestly didn't know what love was," she finally said, her voice so soft that Ellie had to strain to hear. "I thought that love was for suckers and dreamers. I was all about duty. I lived for the next mission. Ellie, I'm not the sweet blonde, the girl next door. That's just an illusion, a mask to fool people. I've done things that make being a whore look like Mother Teresa. Then I met Chuck. He's not like anybody I've ever known. I fell for him almost the first day. And, Ellie, here is the amazing part. He knew me, knew what I really was… and loved me anyway. Wow. I fought against that for a whole year. I made him and myself and anybody who was forced to be around us miserable. But no matter how much crap I dished out to him, no matter how big of a bitch I was to him, he just wouldn't go away. He stood by me and loved me when anybody else would have long ago given up. So now, thanks mostly to you, I do know what love is, what it feels like. And it can simply be awful, hurt worse than anything you've ever experienced before, make you wish you'd never been born. But it can also make you feel like you can flap your arms and fly. That's where I'm at right now, about ready to start flapping my arms and show you how I can fly. I'm frankly still learning how to deal with it. Chuck has had to put up with things that no man should have to put up with. I want to be everything that he needs. So yes, I'm totally lovesick."

"He is incredibly lucky," Ellie said. "To have someone who loves him that much. How can I help?"

Sarah knew immediately what Ellie meant. She wasn't talking about helping with Fulcrum, or the CIA, or the danger. She was talking about helping her best friend. "You're doing it," she said, again very softly so that her voice wouldn't break. "If maybe sometimes I could talk to you. I really don't know how to be a wife. My instincts are totally the opposite. I… Ellie, sometimes I just don't know what he needs. I'm trying so hard, Ellie. If I could just maybe talk to you…"

"Of course," Ellie said. "Sweetie, come on. You know that you don't have to ask me that. For one thing, stop trying so hard. The honest truth is that he loves you just as desperately as you love him. I can't imagine any couple more perfect for each other. Just maybe relax a little and enjoy it. But I'd love to talk, anytime of the day or night. Maybe in exchange you can tell me some exciting stories of life as a beautiful CIA Agent. I'll bet you have some."

Ellie suddenly grinned at Sarah's distressed look. "Don't worry, sweetie," she said. "This would just be between us. Chuck would never have to know."

"That's not it," Sarah finally said. "I'm not going to hide anything from Chuck. He already knows a lot. I'm more worried about you."

That clearly surprised her. "Me?" Ellie asked. "Why are you worried about me?"

"I'm not ashamed of anything that I've done as a spy," Sarah said. "I'm absolutely not. I've made the world a safer place. I've brought down drug cartels, kept legitimate governments from being overthrown. I've even kept terrorists from getting nuclear weapons. But hearing some of those details might make you feel differently about me."

"Sex?" Ellie asked. Then she smiled. "I'm sorry. That's the first thing that jumps into my mind. I've probably been watching too many movies."

"There has been some," Sarah admitted. "Not much, but some. It's simply a fact of life in this business. Other agents use it a lot more. It's my last resort. No, I'm worried more about you finding out about all the people I've killed. My nickname was The Enforcer."

"How many?" Ellie asked.

That broke some of the tension and Sarah laughed. "I haven't exactly been keeping count," she said. Then she got serious again. "It might be fifty. But they were all bad. I hope that doesn't change things between us."

Ellie firmly shook her head. "That's just silly," she said. "We're sisters. You were doing a nasty, uncomfortable, but necessary job." Then she smiled. "Tell me about the sex," she said.

That totally broke the tension in the car and they both started laughing. "How about this?" Sarah responded. "I worked with a partner for a couple of years. Her name is Carina. I'll tell you some of her stories. But I'm warning you, Ellie…"

"She's pretty wild."

x-x-x-x-x


	8. Different Perspectives

_This is not an original story. It was written during the middle of season 2. The original story assumed a sequel that never happened. So there will be some brand new content in this rewrite and several new chapters at the end._

_I still don't own Chuck._

_If you enjoyed this or any of the stories on this site, please take a second and send the author a review. It only takes a second – and it really, really makes a difference. That's probably more important than ever now that the series has ended. If you want to keep the Chuck fandom alive and continue to read about these characters, you really need to think about rewarding the people whose hard work make that possible._

**Different Perspectives**

x-x-x-x-x

Sarah was in the bathroom getting ready for bed. It had been such a good night so far. First she played Seth like a fiddle and got out of having to spend the night with him. Then she got to spend some quality time with her soon to be sister. Then she got to be in a fight, well, maybe not a fight exactly. She was the only one who threw a punch. Maybe it was more like a beating. Dumb asses should have never touched her car.

Finally, there was telling Ellie the truth. That could have gone poorly. But Ellie was great. She was plainly looking forward to the next installment of Carina – Slutty Super Spy.

Hopefully this wonderful night would continue with Chuck. But she was totally willing to do her part. He was on the computer clearly reading the transcript of her meeting with Seth when she walked into the room. Some of that was probably hard to read about. So she was determined to make this up to him by creating the most erotic night of Chuck Bartowski's young life. Except there were several, well, if not problems, then issues to overcome with that.

First and foremost, most-erotic-night would already be something of a tall hill to climb. They had been a couple for only a full week today. And they had spent most of the week in bed. They had already made love well into double digits already. Chuck was clearly now comfortable seeing her fully naked, even in daylight. And for her part she was now fully comfortable asking for the things from him that she had discovered were her favorites. Or more accurately, the one thing that was her favorite multiple times.

For another, Chuck clearly wasn't yet totally comfortable in making sex a game, even between them. He had this old fashioned thing going on. Sex was an expression of love… period. Any other reason bordered on sin. She guessed that's why he struggled so much with something as simple as the possibility of showing her tits to Seth Roberts. It's something that a spy would do for a mission without even thinking about it. Chuck clearly thought of it as a sexual act. So she would have to tread a little carefully making sure that he knew whatever she was about to do for his benefit was different, an expression of love.

So she was torn. Should she put on one of her negligees and just blatantly seduce him? Maybe she could just give him the sexy strip tease they had talked about last night. The problem is that either might backfire. The negligee was what she was going to offer Seth, and Chuck knew it. He saw it in her bag. She already told him that the strip tease is what Bryce would have wanted. She sure didn't want to give Chuck the impression that she was treating him like she would those guys.

Finally she decided that she was over thinking this and would just go out there and talk to him about it.

Chuck was clearly enjoying himself over something. "Oh my God," he said mixed with laughing as soon as she stepped out of the bathroom. "Didn't the CIA teach you anything about negotiation?"

Sarah had no idea what he was talking about. But at least he was laughing. That was a good sign. "Not really," she said. "What do you want to negotiate about?"

"Not me, silly," Chuck said, still laughing. "Your husband. Ten times? You do realize that he would have settled for three?"

That got Sarah laughing herself. "And I would have willingly given up a hundred," she replied. "It got me out of spending the night. You do realize that it's not happening, not once?"

"I'll keep that in mind the next time we're negotiating," Chuck laughed.

Sarah stepped up and put her arms around his neck. "I would never cheat you," she said as their lips met. "But now you get to choose your reward."

"Reward?" Chuck asked, clearly confused. "Reward for what?"

"For not freaking out about reading that transcript," Sarah said as she kissed him again, broke the embrace, and stepped back. "You've been so great about this whole thing with Seth. I'm really very proud of you. You deserve a reward. You can either have my sexiest lap dance or a sexy fashion show with five of my virtually invisible negligees. So what will it be?"

Chuck paused for a long, long time. Finally Sarah piped up with a laugh. "Is this really that hard of a decision?" she teased. "With just a little sweet talking, you could probably get both."

Chuck just looked at her. "Sarah, are you unsatisfied with our sex life?" he finally asked so softly that she wasn't even sure that she heard him correctly. "I'm doing my best."

You could have knocked Sarah over with a feather. And since it was the very, very last thing she ever expected him to say, her response was less than smooth. "Huh?" she asked? "Why on earth would you say that?"

"It's just that you always seem to be trying to spice it up," Chuck said. "Isn't what we're doing enough?"

Sarah's perfect night was quickly going down the drain. She resisted the temptation to be pissed. She tried to resist it anyway. She wasn't totally successful. "So that's seriously the conclusion you've come to?" she asked incredulously. "After all the moaning, the multiple orgasms, the daily asking you for my favorite thing, the waking up every morning lying on your chest naked, you've concluded that I'm unsatisfied somehow, that I need more. You're simply going to have to help me out here, Chuck. I really don't have a fucking clue what could possibly be going on inside that head of yours. The fact is that I've never come close to feeling like I have for the past week. It's been nothing short of magical. I didn't think it was possible to be this happy, this contented. I never want it to end. I just wanted to do something special for you, to thank you. But you making that wrong somehow? Tell me what you're thinking because I'm stumped."

Chuck went over and sat on the edge of the bed. "I'm sorry if I reacted poorly," he said. Then he paused for a long moment. "I'm really not trying to make you feel bad. Maybe I can explain it in a way to help you understand my perspective. Do you remember the mission with Lon Kirk?"

"Barely," Sarah answered. "Was he the guy on the yacht? Why?"

"I remember watching you with him," Chuck said. "I remember every single detail about that day. I was so jealous. I remember thinking to myself. If I could ever get that girl to kiss me like that, to neck with me in that barely there bikini, to let me slide my hand inside her top, to offer to take me below and make love with me, I'd be the luckiest man in the whole world. I'd be content for the rest of my life."

"But, Chuck," Sarah pleaded. "Come on. Sweetie, be serious. That Lon Kirk guy was an assignment. Every single thing I did with him was fake. I can barely remember his name. I've done all of those things with you, and far more… for real. And I'll remember the first time we kissed for real in that hospital bed for the rest of my life. I can close my eyes and still feel how your lips felt against mine. When you finally worked up enough courage to seek out my tongue with yours, how purely magical it was. Then you finally got around to putting your hand on my breast. I was in a hospital bed. I had been unconscious for six hours, my ankle was on fire, and I was totally ready to start ripping your clothes off. I still get a tingle right now thinking about it. So I ask you, how can you possibly compare those things?"

Chuck shook his head sadly. "I'm not comparing them," he said. "You're misunderstanding me. I agree that you've done all of those things. Don't you get it? Now I'll be content for the rest of my life. I don't need anything more. I honestly worship you. I don't need you to perform for me."

Wow. It so wasn't fair for him to break out that much sweetness when she was good and pissed. How could you possibly stay mad at that? Sarah sat next to Chuck on the bed and put her head on his shoulder. "Okay," she said. "Chuck, I get that. I do. It was very, very sweet. But you're the one who doesn't get it. I worship you every bit as much, Chuck. Every bit. Why do you question that?"

"I don't question that," Chuck said.

"Well, can't you understand why I would want to do something a little extra every once in a while?" Sarah asked gently. "Something that I know you would like? Am I misreading you somehow? Are you really saying that you wouldn't enjoy seeing me model some negligees for you without turning it into an opportunity to feel guilty?"

"I'm not saying that," Chuck said firmly. "I'm sorry if it came across like that. What red blooded man wouldn't want to see the most beautiful woman in the world giving him a private negligee show? I'm just saying that you don't have to do that to keep me interested."

"I think what we have here is a failure to communicate," Sarah said. "I get that we see sex a little differently. I'll admit that my natural reaction is to see it the way a spy sees it. Something that men want, something to use as a weapon against them, something to bargain with, a feel good release of tension. I get that those thoughts horrify you. I don't fault you for that. I'm even trying to be sensitive to it. You see sex as an expression of love. Period. Any other possible reason for sex makes you feel guilty. Do we agree on that at least?"

"I guess," Chuck said non-committally. "What's your point?"

"My point is that you're not being fair to me," Sarah said. "If I offered a lap dance to Seth, yes, it would be a weapon. When I offer it to you, it's an expression of love. The very same act would mean totally different things. Can we agree on that?"

Chuck sensed that he was now trapped in a losing argument. So he just nodded.

"So do I have to apologize for my expression of love?" Sarah asked. "I fully understand that you're not demanding it from me. I get that. I want to do something special for you, the man who I'm going to spend the rest of my life with. Can't you just have the good grace to accept it? The honest truth is that I'm going to enjoy driving you crazy."

That got a smile. "Okay," he said. "You win. You're right. I'm really sorry that I was looking at it the wrong way. Thank you for pointing out the difference. That would be very sexy. I'd like it very much."

Sarah wasn't sure which made her happier, getting Chuck to agree, or winning a logical argument with him so decisively. That never happened. But she still wasn't totally ready to let him off the hook. "Good," she said obviously relieved. "But now you've made me upset. Maybe you should be the one to strip for me."

Chuck put his arm around her lovingly. "You were totally right and I was totally wrong," he said with a grin. "I'm very sorry. Tell me, did that help? Maybe just a little?

Okay, so now he was off the hook. Indeed, she couldn't help the grin. "It actually helped a lot," she said. "Maybe you could say it again?"

That got them both laughing. "Okay," Chuck said. "Now you're just gloating."

"I know," Sarah said, still laughing. "It doesn't happen that often. I have to enjoy it when it does." Then she got more serious. "Chuck, I need a favor," she said softly.

Chuck could tell by the tone of her voice alone that she was being serious. "You know that you don't have to ask me for a favor," he said. "What do you need?"

Sarah paused for a long moment. "Understanding," she finally said softly. "Look, Chuck, I know this sounds odd to you. But the honest truth is that I've been treating you like crap for a long time. I knew that. Hell, everybody knew that. I would lie in bed at night feeling so guilty. And the way I got myself through those horrible nights was by promising myself that if I ever got the chance I would make it up to you someday. Okay, I can already hear you saying that I don't need to make anything up to you. You can just save your breath. I already know that you're not expecting that. It's sweet… but it also misses the point… by a mile. It's something that I need. I need to know that I'm doing everything I possibly can to make you happy. And make no mistake. When I say happy, I mean so aroused that all you can think about is whatever I happen to be doing to you, to trust me enough to lose control. I understand that you're not totally comfortable with that, you think somehow that it's just what I would do for a mark. But it's not the same at all, Chuck. So maybe if you could just meet me halfway here?"

Chuck took the arm that was wrapped around her and gave her a squeeze. "Let me get this straight," he said. "I'd be doing you a favor by allowing the most beautiful woman in the whole world, who also happens to be the love of my life, to try her best to see how hot she can make me without whining about it. Then after she's given me the biggest orgasm of my life to lie there catching my breath and maybe act just a little appreciative. Is that about right?"

That broke the tension. "That's about right," Sarah said with a giggle. "I know it's a lot to ask. So which negligee would you like first?"

"Actually," Chuck said with a grin. "If it's all the same, I think I'd rather have the lap dance."

"Morgan picked out the perfect panties for you to wear."

x-x-x-x-x

Casey was already in the conference room when Chuck and Sarah arrived. Beckman was on line and they were just passing time waiting for them. They quickly took their normal seats.

"Agent Walker," Beckman began the meeting. "We've already all seen the transcript. Very well done. It looks like you were successful. Congratulations. Do you have anything further to report?"

"Not really, ma'am," Sarah said. "My mission went much better than expected. Seth Roberts believes that I am willing to defect to Fulcrum using my alias Sarah Anderson. Seth is going to set up a meeting with his Fulcrum contact. We made plans to meet in Vegas in two days."

"Excellent," Beckman said. "I assume that Mr. Roberts doesn't suspect you. What is your confidence level that this Fulcrum contact will agree to meet you?"

"Seth gave me no indication that he suspects anything," Sarah said softly. "I'm hopeful that the Fulcrum contact will agree to meet me. Seth is going to offer him, um, an incentive."

"Good," Beckman said. "Agents Casey and Bartowski, will you please excuse us for a moment? Just before this meeting started we intercepted a call from Seth Robert's cell phone that we haven't had time to transcribe. The other side of the call was secured so we couldn't trace it. But it has some interesting information. I want to play it for you and it has some embarrassing language. Out of professional courtesy, I would like Sarah to have the chance to listen to it first."

As Chuck and Casey got up to leave, Sarah grabbed Chuck's hand. "Excuse me ma'am," she said. "But I'm tired of keeping things from Chuck. And as hard as this assignment has been for me, I'm sure that it has been twice as hard on him. Would you mind if he stayed?"

"Are you sure?" Beckman asked. "There is some fairly crude language directed towards you."

"I'm very sure," Sarah said as she gave Chuck's hand a squeeze and looked directly at him. "I need for him to trust me so he needs to know how much I trust him. And that means not keeping anything from him. This is all mission related. If we're going to spend the rest of our lives together, we need that mutual trust. Casey is free to stay as well. He's our partner. He deserves to hear anything related to our mission."

"Very well," Beckman said as she began playing the conversation.

The call was from Seth to his Fulcrum contact. And even though they could only really hear one side of the conversation, it was plenty to get the general gist of what was being discussed. He was setting up the meeting with Sarah. He was describing in very graphic terms what a good time he could expect from Sarah. It was the kind of conversation that you might hear in a locker room.

As Chuck sat and listened to Seth brag about his totally fabricated night with Sarah and how many positions he had her in and how awesome she was in bed, he kept his eyes on her. Even though she was trying her best to stay professional, Chuck could tell that she was struggling. Her eyes were starting to get glassy and there was a slight tremor forming in her hands. It broke Chuck's heart to see Sarah in such pain. To have to sit there next to him and listen together to this man who she hated, lie about her so crudely.

He just had to figure out the best way to help her. Getting mad wasn't going to help, that was for sure. And he knew that trying to comfort her in front of Beckman wasn't a smart move. The last thing she would want would be to break down in front of Beckman. She could probably live with Casey seeing her cry. But Beckman… No way. So that only left one thing to do… follow her advice.

"It's obvious that this Fulcrum contact is eager to meet Agent Walker," Beckman said in disgust. "I'm sorry that we had to all listen to that. Are there any questions?"

"Yes, ma'am," Chuck said in a hesitant voice. "Excuse me but I'm a little confused. What does it mean that Sarah is going to fuck this Fulcrum guy's brains out? Is that some new sanctioned form of CIA torture? It sounds really painful, worse than water boarding. And I thought we were trying to entice this guy, not scare him off."

As Chuck was speaking he looked directly at Sarah, smiled, and arched his eyebrows suggestively. Chuck could see that Sarah was fighting to keep a straight face.

"And another thing, ma'am," Chuck continued without waiting for a response. "What difference does it make to Fulcrum how religious Sarah is? Why would he care if she spends more time on her knees than the pope?"

That totally broke the tension in the room. For a long moment Sarah tried to hold her laughing in. Finally she gave up and joined the rest of the room as they exploded in laughter. Even the disciplinarian Beckman had tears running down her face. Casey could tell that she understood that this was a release that the team needed so he decided to join the fun. He turned to Chuck with his brow furrowed in mock confusion.

"And what did he mean," Casey said while trying to control his own laughter. "When he said that Sarah could suck a tennis ball through a garden hose? What's up with that?"

"I'm not sure," Chuck agreed. "It sounds really hard, and actually kind of gross." Then he turned to Sarah. "Can you really do that?"

That sent the room into another fit of laughing. Sarah was laughing so hard that she had to lay her head on the table as the tears ran down her face.

Beckman let the laughter go on for a long moment before she finally tried to settle them down. "Okay, people," she finally said. "We still have some decisions to make here. I think we can safely assume that Fulcrum no longer suspects the Buy More. We can simply wait a few days, deal with Seth Roberts, and call it a day. Or we can follow up and perhaps catch some bigger fish. Since Sarah is doing the heavy lifting on this, I'm going to defer to her. Sarah, what do you want to do?"

"Well, ma'am," Sarah said. "Would it be okay if I talked to Chuck privately for a minute? I think that he deserves a voice."

"Of course," Beckman said. "You two take a minute and talk about it. Agent Casey and I will wait here."

x-x-x-x-x

Sarah took Chuck by the hand and led him to a private room. As soon as the door closed she threw her arms around him and smashed her mouth to his. "I'm so proud of you," she said when she finally needed to come up for air. "You made it a joke."

Chuck just smiled at her.

Sarah smiled back. "But this is not a normal situation," she said. "Seth Roberts is not a typical mark. No one could expect you to endure seeing their fiancé pretend to be married to another man. So if you say stop everyone, me included, will understand."

"But that's not what you want," Chuck said with a smile. "Is it? Please be honest with me."

"My top priority is you," Sarah insisted firmly. "It always has been. It always will be. You're safe now. So I'm not willing to put you through any more pain."

"What pain?" Chuck said. "You hate this guy, right?"

Sarah nodded.

"And you're not really going to have sex with anyone, right?" Chuck asked with a smile.

"Well," Sarah said with a grin. "You have a serious shot if you play your cards right. But no one else."

"No paying off to Seth?" Chuck teased. "You did make the man a promise."

That got an even bigger grin. "I'll tell you what," she said. "We'll make you his heir. When he's dead, I'll pay off to you."

That got Chuck's face red, but he ignored it. "Then I want you to listen to me," he said as his demeanor turned serious. "You're my best friend in the world. I love you very much. Do you believe that?"

"Of course," Sarah said. "That question had better have been rhetorical. Otherwise be prepared to have your ass kicked."

Chuck ignored her teasing threat. "So," he said softly. "Let's do what you've dedicated your life to doing. Let's bust these bastards. I'm thinking for my reward tonight, we'll go with the negligee show."

That got Sarah laughing again. "Getting a little cocky are we?" she asked as soon as she could speak.

"If I said that I was getting more than a little… and bigger all the time," Chuck said in faux seriousness. "Would you think that I sounded like Seth?"

That brought on some serious laughing from both of them. "Maybe a little," Sarah was finally able to get out. "But I'm giving you a pass. You want the show? Okay. You got it."

"Fair warning, I'll be expecting you to prove to me how cocky you are."

x-x-x-x-x

Sarah led Chuck back into the conference room. As soon as they sat back down, Sarah turned to the screen. "We would like the chance to continue, ma'am" she said. "The risk is minimal and the possible reward is huge. It's what we do."

"Great," Beckman said. "If that's your decision, we have two days. Let's get together then."

"Yes, ma'am" Casey said.

"I'm putting out a sanction on Seth Roberts and Laura Carter," Beckman said. "They can still connect Sarah to the Buy More. I assume that nobody has a problem with that."

"The only problem I would have," Sarah said with a smile. "Is if I don't get to pull the trigger."

"We'll see," Beckman said thoughtfully. "If there is nothing else, you're dismissed."

As soon as the screen went blank Sarah leaned over to whisper in Chuck's ear.

"Let's go home. I suddenly feel religious."

x-x-x-x-x


	9. The Fiance

_This is not an original story. It was written during the middle of season 2. The original story assumed a sequel that never happened. So there will be some brand new content in this rewrite and several new chapters at the end._

_I still don't own Chuck._

_If you enjoyed this or any of the stories on this site, please take a second and send the author a review. It only takes a second – and it really, really makes a difference. That's probably more important than ever now that the series has ended. If you want to keep the Chuck fandom alive and continue to read about these characters, you really need to think about rewarding the people whose hard work make that possible._

**The Fiancé **

x-x-x-x-x

Chuck and Sarah were lying in bed in their normal position, had been for some time. Chuck was on his back. Sarah was, as usual, on her side with her head on his chest. The top of her head was tucked in just under his chin. Her hair slightly tickled his neck each time she moved. Although they were sorta covered by a sheet, they were otherwise naked. It was odd. The most beautiful woman in the whole world was lying with one bare breast smashed into his chest while the other was clearly visible and about two inches from his hand… without him being tempted to grab it.

Maybe that was a good sign. Maybe they were getting into a routine where sex wasn't the only thing they could do. Lying there was pretty special too. It was the most peaceful feeling that Chuck had ever experienced in his life. Time seemed to have no meaning as he mindlessly rubbed Sarah's bare back. He was reluctant to speak because he feared breaking the spell. Since he couldn't see her eyes, he couldn't tell if she was asleep or if she was simply enjoying the moment in the same way he was. Finally, Chuck had to find out. "Are you awake?" he asked.

"So you can speak," Sarah said as she turned her head to look into Chuck's eyes. He could see that unmistakable sparkle. "I was afraid that I had rendered you mute."

"Not yet," Chuck replied in a teasing tone with his own sparkle. "Don't get me wrong. The negligees were nice. Did you realize that you can see right through them? The girl on top thing was another new experience for us. You're very athletic. I'm impressed. But if striking me mute was your goal, I'm afraid that you've failed. Would you care to try again? I'm not sure how you're going to top that. After all, I'm pretty sure that you were every bit as turned on as I was."

"I wouldn't want to damage you permanently," Sarah said with a laugh. "So I've been holding back a little. Trust me. I still have some tricks up my sleeve that would make a lingerie show look like a trip to day camp. I just don't think you're ready for full power yet."

"Okay," Chuck said in mock seriousness as he conspicuously examined her naked form. "I'm going to have to take your word on the sleeves. It must be some kind of metaphor that I'm not getting. Let me know when you think I'm ready."

"And just why would you think that I'm sleeping anyway?" Sarah said with a grin. "It's only one in the afternoon. Do you really think that I'd be so exhausted from your strenuous lovemaking session that I'd need a nap? Pretty full of yourself, aren't you?"

"I'm full of myself?" Chuck replied incredulously. "Says the girl who was just wondering if she had struck me mute with her magical thighs. Besides, you seemed to be doing most of the work."

"Fair enough," Sarah replied with a laugh. "Why did you ask in the first place?"

"Well," Chuck began softly. "When I was at Ellie's last night, she asked me if we could go out tonight and celebrate our engagement. I really didn't know what to tell her because of this whole Seth thing. And then you two went out last night. So I was wondering if you talked about it."

"We definitely talked about it," Sarah said with a grin. "She is jumping up and down excited."

"Good," Chuck said with a smile as he kissed Sarah's forehead. "We could use a night out. This will be our first time as a couple."

Sarah just nodded. After a long moment she looked back up at Chuck. "Can I ask you for a favor?" she asked.

"Of course," Chuck replied.

"It's not a little favor," Sarah said. "It's a big one."

"Shoot," Chuck said quickly. "I can't imagine you asking for any favor that I wouldn't do. Although I did just allow you to seductively strip off five negligees in front of me without once complaining. That was hard."

Sarah laughed and slapped his chest playfully. "It was very hard," she said. "It was as hard as I've seen you." But then she got serious again. "Sweetie, I need a night off."

Chuck quickly jumped to the wrong conclusion. "Okay," he said. "I wasn't thinking. Now that Ellie knows, maybe it's not the best time to hang out with her. I'll call her and let her know we'll make it another time."

"No," Sarah said quickly. "I didn't mean that at all. I mean I need a night off from being a spy. Tonight I just want to be a girl out having a good time with the love of my life and my new family. I want to get crazy on the dance floor. I want to show off my hot fiancé and tell off any girl who takes more than a two second look. I don't want to have to worry about … umm … things."

"What you mean is that you might get sloppy drunk, isn't it?" Chuck asked with a laugh.

"It might happen," Sarah said with the beginnings of a smile. "Do you think that you could be the spy tonight, Agent Bartowski? Ellie is all over me to tell her sexy spy stories. I might just see if I can shock her. Just don't let me say anything stupid in front of Devon."

"Of course," Chuck said with a silly grin. "You spend all of your time worrying about me. Let me spend tonight worrying about you. I've actually never seen you drunk before. What kind of drunk are you anyway? Are you going to be picking a fight with someone again like you did last night?"

"Hey," Sarah protested with a laugh. "In fairness those guys started it last night. They were trying to mug us. Did you really expect me to just let them drive off with my Porsche? I'm not really sure what kind of drunk I am. I never get the chance to let go like that. I guess we'll find out. I might become more… affectionate."

"Good lord," Chuck said in mock horror. "I'm going to make sure you stay away from Devon."

That got them both laughing. "Very funny," she said.

"But I have to warn you," Chuck continued. "If you do get sloppy drunk, I'm not going to be held accountable for my actions when we get back home. Be prepared to be taken advantage of. Maybe it's time that I showed you the pig inside me."

Sarah openly laughed at the suggestion. "You're not a pig, sweetie," she said. "Not even close. You just don't have it in you."

Chuck was actually taken aback. "I can be a pig," he said, with perhaps a little more hurt in his voice than he intended.

Sarah's eyes widened in horror. "Oh my God," she quickly said. "I'm sorry if you took any offense at that. I wasn't challenging your manhood or anything. It was a compliment. Trust me on this one. I've been around enough pigs to last a lifetime. You're a nice, sweet, sensitive, caring man. You could never treat a woman as a sex object, especially me."

"We'll see," Chuck said. "Maybe it's time to show you."

"Fair enough," Sarah said as she slapped Chuck's chest playfully. "Do I have your promise on that?" Then she paused for a moment. "Look, I'm not saying that I want you to turn into a pig. I don't. I don't want you to turn into anything. I love what I have. But you also don't have to be afraid of letting me know that you want something."

Chuck ignored her suggestive question and changed the subject. "I'm putting the over / under on how many times Ellie hugs you tonight at twenty," he said with a smile.

"I'll take the over."

x-x-x-x-x

Laura Carter sat in the Miami airport anxiously waiting to board her flight to L.A. Getting a two week break from a boring mission would have usually made her giddy. It didn't happen that often. And make no mistake. She was totally ready for this mission to be over, or at least to move from the fucking stage into the shooting stage. But something was plainly gnawing at her. But why? For the life of her she really couldn't pinpoint why she was so anxious. Sure, she hadn't seen Seth in about eight weeks and she was definitely missing him.

It wasn't just the sex. It wasn't even mainly the sex. She was currently getting all she could handle from her mark. In fact, Rock, which was her new nickname for him, decided to send her off on her two weeks of 'celibacy' with a big bang this morning. And it wasn't that she was in love with Seth or anything. Love was for suckers. She was certainly not even exclusive to Seth, far from it. Laura was never bashful about hoping into bed when the mood struck her. And the mood struck her quite often, perhaps not quite often enough to earn her the slut label, but she also wasn't shy about letting a hot guy in a bar know what she wanted. It was a fact that many men inside the beltway could attest to. It was one of the benefits of being stationed in Washington. There were lots of horny men around. No, she wasn't in love.

So why was she so jealous?

It was a damn good question, one that she didn't have a good answer to. It wasn't like her… at all. She sure didn't expect Seth to be faithful to her. His bragging about his most recent conquest had become a running joke between them. Hell, she had even played wingman and helped him pick up an attractive female on several occasions. He had even pleaded with her to join them several times. To date she had resisted his begging, so fucking another woman for his voyeuristic amusement had stayed off her resume so far. But it was probably only a matter of time.

It had even become a game to them. They had something of a regular bet going where she would lay out a challenge to see how far Seth could get the bimbo of the night to go. In fact she was going to have to get a little more creative thinking up her challenges. He was winning far too often. There must not be too much that those west coast chicks won't do.

So, what was so different about Sarah Walker? Why did the thought of Seth in bed with Sarah bother her when the scores of others before her didn't? Okay, she was competitive. And Sarah was hands down the most beautiful woman she had ever seen. But what did that matter? Seth was never going to be monogamous no matter who the woman was… or how hot she was.

Could it possibly be because they were married once? Seth didn't love Sarah, she was sure of that. Sarah had always wanted a faithful partner and Seth was never, ever going to be that. Laura tried to gently warn her about him before they were married but she would never listen. She was far too infatuated with the first man to be interested in her to see his faults. Laura had initially hoped that Sarah would eventually adjust to Seth's life style. It actually would have been good for her. After all, you really couldn't be a good agent if you were so uptight about who you were willing to fuck. It came with the territory. And if you were willing to fuck the bad guys for your country, why not be just as willing to fuck the good guys all for yourself? It had worked out perfectly for Laura. I mean, that's how agents lived, right?

But if it wasn't love with Seth, what was it?

It's just that he was so comfortable. She knew that anytime she was ready, he would come through for her in bed. It was amazing. Hell, Seth had his faults. Nobody knew that better than Laura. Even in bed, he wasn't big on foreplay, didn't have anything close to Rock's endurance, wasn't romantic in any sense, openly bartered sex acts like kids would baseball cards. But he always seemed to know just what she wanted in bed, had learned where her hot buttons were and knew exactly how hard to push each one. It was the one thing he was really good at. And while picking up some hot guy in a bar may be exciting, and some of the sex was interesting, she was always drawn back to Seth, back to good old comfortable Seth. One thing for sure, she vowed to find out what in the hell was really going on here. And she would be damned if she was going to let Sarah Walker waltz back into their lives after five years and take him away from her. She loved Sarah, but if she had to hurt her to stop that from happening, she was totally willing to.

But then Laura paused in the middle of her internal rant as the epiphany hit. It was so stunning that she could only sit there for a long while. It's the last thing that she expected. "Oh my God," she whispered to herself as she wiped the tears that were strangely forming in her eyes.

"I do love him."

x-x-x-x-x

Chuck and Sarah were still lying in bed when Sarah's cell rang. She could tell that it was Beckman.

"Walker, secure," Sarah answered.

"Yes, ma'am,"

"Yes, ma'am, we can be there in twenty minutes."

"Yes, ma'am,"

"Chuck," Sarah said as she ended the call. "Get dressed. We have to be at Castle in twenty minutes for a briefing."

"What's wrong?" Chuck asked in concern.

"I'm not sure," Sarah said. "But from the tone of Beckman's voice, we must have a serious problem."

Beckman was already online talking to Casey when Chuck and Sarah entered the conference room. They quickly took their normal seats.

"Thank you for getting here so quickly," Beckman said briskly. "I'm afraid that we have a situation. In front of you is a transcript of a cell phone conversation that we just intercepted between Seth Roberts and Laura Carter. I'll play the conversation.

_Seth: Hi baby. When are you coming to Vegas?_

_Laura: I'm at the airport right now. But there has been a change in plans. I'm stopping in L.A. for a while._

_Seth: Why in the world would you be going to L.A.? I just left there._

_Laura: I've been doing some thinking about Sarah Walker. Don't you find it odd that she would just pop back into your life after five years?_

_Seth: Maybe. What do you think?_

_Laura: I've been doing some digging, talking to some people. The word back at the agency is that she just got engaged to her partner._

_Seth: Engaged? She sure didn't act like she was recently engaged to me. She was all over me._

_Laura: I know. That's what I'm trying to tell you. Something just doesn't ring true. The only partner that anybody knows about is some NSA agent named John Casey. Real burn out, hard core, hard ass type. Good looking, but in more of a rugged way. He would seem to be the last person in the world that Sarah Walker would fall for. She's more into the pretty boy type like you._

_Seth: So what are you going to do?_

_Laura: Something just doesn't smell right. I'm going to find out the real story here._

_Seth: And just how are you going to do that? You know that Sarah is coming to Vegas to meet me?_

_Laura: I know. I figured that. I'm going to find out from this John Casey character. He's probably going to be lonely for a couple of days anyway._

_Seth: Don't tell me that you're going to seduce a hard core NSA burn out. I'm not sure that's even possible._

_Laura: Stop laughing. I'm pretty sure that I can seduce anyone. At least I'm going to give it a shot._

_Seth: Good luck. You're going to need it. Our regular bet that you don't seal the deal?_

_Laura: You're on. Seth, can I be serious for a minute? I need to ask you for a big favor._

_Seth: Okay._

_Laura: You know that I hardly ever ask you for anything, right?_

_Seth: I know._

_Laura: This is really important to me._

_Seth: Baby, what is it already?_

_Laura: Will you promise me that you won't hook up with Sarah until I get there?_

_Seth: Why? You know how much work I have put in already to get her in bed. She's already promised to show me how much she's improved._

_Laura: I have my reasons. Will you promise me? Please. I'm asking you._

_Seth: Laura, are you seriously jealous? I never thought I would ever hear that from you._

_Laura: You're really going to make me say it, aren't you? Okay, yes. I know. I never thought I would feel this way either. But I do. I can't help it. So will you please promise me? I'll do anything you ask to make it up to you._

_Seth: Really? You know what I'm going to ask for, right? You've only turned me down about a hundred times._

_Laura: I know. It's probably been more like a thousand times. Okay, if you'll do this for me, I promise I'll do it. Just so we understand each other, getting the other woman is totally your responsibility._

_Seth: Deal. I think I actually have that part covered. How long do you think you'll be?_

_Laura: I'm not sure. A lot of it depends on how cooperative this fiancé is… a couple of days tops. I'll call you as soon as I find out what the deal is with Sarah._

_Seth: Okay, baby. But don't make me wait too long. She is really throwing herself at me. I'm not sure how long I can hold out._

_Laura: So, you lost our bet last night? Good._

_Seth: Yes, I'm afraid so. She is completely crazy. She won't fuck me until I do her some stupid favor. If I didn't know better, I'd say she's been talking to you._

_Laura: I'm going to let that last crack slide. I'll call you in a couple of days. I love you._

_Seth: You love me? Really? Where did that come from? That's the first time you've ever told me that. Have you been drinking?_

_Laura: I know. It's the damnedest thing. I'm not sure how it happened. But I do. I just figured it out myself. And, no, I haven't been drinking… but I think I'm going to start right now. I'll talk to you in a couple of days._

_Seth: Goodbye, baby. I'll see you when you get here._

As soon as the conversation ended, Beckman cleared her throat. "What are we going to do about this?" she asked. "I'm afraid that if she does too much digging, she'll find out about Chuck. That would be disastrous. I think we should abort."

"How can we abort, ma'am?" Sarah asked. "Seth is expecting me in Vegas tomorrow. Wouldn't that just make them more suspicious?"

"It would be awkward," Beckman agreed. "But if you just didn't show up he might assume that you had reconsidered."

"Ma'am," Casey said. "Could I have a shot at this Laura Carter? Maybe I could convince her that Sarah and I are a couple."

"Do you really think that's possible?" Beckman asked skeptically. "You don't make a very convincing couple."

"Well, ma'am," Chuck said softly. "Neither do Sarah and I. But we are. I have to pinch myself to believe it myself, but it's apparently true."

"That's a fair point," Beckman said thoughtfully. "Okay, Major. We'll give you a shot. But I want Chuck away from the Buy More while Laura Carter is in the area. There is no sense in taking any chances."

"Yes, ma'am," Casey said.

Okay, so maybe Chuck had just stuck up for him, but that was no reason to not take a shot. "I love this plan," he said to Sarah as soon as the screen went dark. "It will be fun to see Casey on the business end of one of these seduction things."

"One thing is for sure," Sarah said as she smiled at Casey. "Laura's right about the last person on earth I would ever fall for."

"Come on, baby," Casey said in mock seriousness. "Don't be like that. If I could only set up a meeting between you and Fulcrum, you sure would be singing a different tune… from your knees."

That got them all laughing.

Sarah turned to Chuck. "Don't you ever even think about calling me baby," she said. "I hate being called that. It sounds like something you'd call your pet Pomeranian."

"One other side benefit of this plan," Chuck said when he could stop laughing.

"There's nobody I know that needs to get laid more than Casey."

x-x-x-x-x


	10. Seduction School

_This is not an original story. It was written during the middle of season 2. The original story assumed a sequel that never happened. So there will be some brand new content in this rewrite and several new chapters at the end._

_If you read the original (and good decision, BTW) you'll notice that some basic things have changed. In fact the number of chapters has changed. I've added new scenes and deleted others. This chapter is a combination of what was two chapters in the original._

_I realized that when I changed the rating, fewer people would read the story. It simply doesn't show up in the default list. But I guess I'm surprised by how many fewer. But it can't be helped. There was no way to tell the story I wanted to tell and keep it T. You'll see why soon._

_Anyway, it's probably now more important than ever that the few of you that remain stay vocal._

_I still don't own Chuck._

_If you enjoyed this or any of the stories on this site, please take a second and send the author a review. It only takes a second – and it really, really makes a difference. That's probably more important than ever now that the series has ended. If you want to keep the Chuck fandom alive and continue to read about these characters, you really need to think about rewarding the people whose hard work make that possible._

**Seduction School**

x-x-x-x-x

"Oh my God," Sarah said to no one in particular as she stared into space. "I'm going to have to kiss him."

"Kiss who?" Chuck asked with a smile.

"Casey," Sarah replied as she indicated with her head towards Casey who was shredding the transcripts from today's briefing.

"Why on earth would you kiss Casey?" Chuck asked in surprise.

"Laura is going to be watching us," Sarah said sadly. "She is going to be looking to see if she can figure out if we really are together. She's going to be expecting me to kiss him."

"So," Chuck said in a confused tone. "Kiss him then."

"You don't get it," Sarah replied with a sigh. "I'm going to have to sell that we're engaged and I'm leaving for a few days. I'm going to have to kiss him with passion."

"What's the matter, Walker?" Casey asked with a smirk. "Afraid you won't be able to stop?"

Chuck was suddenly concerned. This was the woman who had just wandered into another man's hotel room prepared to spend the night. "Why would that bother you, Sarah?" he asked. "I mean, no offense, but you kiss lots of men. What's so different about Casey? Do I have something to worry about?"

"Yeah, Walker," Casey said as his smirk widened. "What gives?"

"Of course not silly," Sarah said with a laugh as she punched Chuck in the arm playfully. "Look, it's just that I've come to look at Casey as sort of a father figure. Kissing him like that just seems … I don't know … wrong somehow. I'm not sure I can sell it."

Chuck couldn't help the relieved smirk, not that he tried in any way. "A father figure," he said in mock confusion. "Are you sure it's not a grandfather figure?"

"Cute," Casey said as his smirk disappeared only to be replaced by a scowl. "How old do you think I am anyway?"

"I'm not sure," Chuck said as he quickly glanced around the room. "Sweetie, have you seen my calculator anyplace?"

"Very funny, smart ass," Casey said as his scowl turned into a full fledged growl. "Come on, Walker. We're both professionals. What's the big deal? We'll kiss, and then you'll go on your merry way. Just wait a few minutes after before you try and drive. We don't want any innocents getting hurt from you driving that powerful car all light-headed."

Chuck was suddenly having fun with a new opportunity to jab Casey, one of his favorite things. "Wait a minute," he said skeptically. "So you're saying that you could have Sarah kiss you with an open mouth and not have it affect you at all? I don't believe it."

"Don't be stupid, Bartowski," Casey said gruffly. "This is the business that we're in. Stuff like this comes with the territory."

"I don't know," Chuck said with a grin. "Sarah is a great kisser. She is also an incredibly beautiful woman."

"Granted," Casey growled in return. "But here's a news flash, Bartowski. There isn't a female CIA agent that isn't an absolute babe. It's a prerequisite for even being accepted into the first day of training. I'm sure that Laura Carter is a knockout as well. An agent is trained to not let that kind of stuff affect us."

Sarah had been silently enjoying the back and forth between them. But she found herself wanting to stick up for her guy. "You're sure you want to challenge me here?" she asked softly with a sly smile as she stood and turned to face Casey. "There haven't been many guys that I couldn't get a reaction from. It's almost insulting my abilities."

"Of course," Casey said dismissively. "Why don't you two grow up? I could…"

Casey was interrupted as Sarah put her arms around his head and pressed her lips to his. Chuck could see Casey's eyes widen in surprise. After a moment, Sarah opened her mouth. It was only a brief moment before Casey followed suit as he quickly closed his eyes in surrender. After about thirty seconds Sarah broke the kiss.

"That's what I thought," Sarah said with a smirk of her own as she watched the blush quickly travel up Casey's neck. "I hope you have better luck with Laura Carter. You're going to end up handcuffed to your bed for sure, Mr. Professional Agent. And, by the way, you were right. She is absolutely gorgeous." Then she turned towards Chuck who was standing there grinning. "I guess I will be able to sell it," she said as she smiled knowingly at Chuck and quickly grabbed his hand and led him to the exit.

Just before they left the room, Chuck called out. "Hey, Casey," he said.

"Um," was all Casey could manage in response as he sat numbly in his chair.

"Father figure? Who's your daddy now?"

x-x-x-x-x

Chuck and Sarah were in her car driving to Ellie's. She had clearly conspired with Sarah to totally control the agenda for tonight. They insisted on starting off their evening by making them dinner. The excuse was that Ellie was going to show Sarah how to cook a pot roast.

Then the co-conspirators had planned to drag Chuck and Devon out dancing. Chuck was torn. Dancing in front of people wasn't his favorite thing. But then again, he was a very good dancer when he was comfortable. Sarah was actually suitably impressed when they danced in the privacy of their hotel room. And dancing was clearly her very favorite thing. So maybe this was an opportunity to impress her. But he had promised Sarah that he would have her back tonight. He would definitely have to watch his drinking. Maybe just a couple to loosen up his dancing shoes.

Chuck looked over at Sarah sitting in the passenger's seat. She looked to be a million miles away. One good thing had come of Sarah's ankle injury. She had actually taught him how to drive the Porsche. Okay, so she had rented another stick shift car to practice on. But once he had proven to her that he could handle it, she had no problems with him driving. Chuck took that as just another example of how she really felt about him. "Sorry to interrupt your daydream," he said with a smile. "But can I ask you a question?"

"You are my daydream," Sarah said as she turned towards Chuck with her sweet smile. "Oh my God, that sounded sickeningly sappy out loud, didn't it? Sorry about that. What's your question?"

"Did you ever let Bryce drive your car?"

"No way," Sarah said as her smile dissolved into a puzzled look. "Bryce knew better than to even ask. The only time he has ever driven this car was the night that we rescued you from Becky Ivan. And I could tell that he was nervous as hell about it then."

"Good," Chuck said softly as he turned his gaze back to the road.

"Hey," Sarah said softly as her face broke into a grin and she grabbed Chuck's hand that was resting on the gear shift handle. "This isn't about the car, is it?"

"I guess not."

"Sweetie," Sarah said as she squeezed Chuck's hand for emphasis. "What's it going to take for you to believe that you're the love of my life? That no other man has ever come close to how I feel about you? Whatever it is, tell me and I'll do it."

Chuck paused for a long moment. "I'm not trying to start a fight," he finally said with a sigh. "I know that we're going out to celebrate tonight, we're both in really good moods, and I don't want to do anything to spoil that. So if this gets too heavy in any way tell me and we'll talk about it some other time, okay?"

"Okay, sweetie," Sarah said with the concern evident in her voice. "Talk to me. What is bothering you?"

"When you kissed Casey," Chuck started slowly. "Did you feel anything?"

"Oh my God," Sarah said with a laugh. "Chuck, please, please don't tell me that you're jealous of Casey."

"I'm not jealous," Chuck quickly insisted. Then he paused for a moment. "I'm just curious. How could you kiss like that and not feel something. It just looked so real."

"Well it wasn't," Sarah said, still laughing. "It was an act. When I was kissing Casey all I was thinking about was how long I would have to let it go to make it believable. I was counting the seconds in my head."

"But how…"

"You wouldn't believe how many hours I've had to practice," Sarah interrupted with a soft smile. "In training they made us practice on a doll. Try passionately kissing a doll sometime while an instructor is screaming at you."

"No thanks," Chuck said. "But what about Seth? I mean, you must have kissed him for real, right? So how did you separate those real feelings from the ones yesterday?"

"Chuck," Sarah said softly as her smile disappeared. "I understand that was different for you. I get that. I have a history with Seth. But I promise that when I kissed him yesterday it was just as fake as Casey today. In fact they were both equally disgusting, just for different reasons. Please, you don't have anything to worry about. I promise."

"I'm sorry," Chuck quickly said as he squeezed Sarah's hand. "I'm not trying to make you feel bad. I totally trust you. I was just curious."

"Thank you, sweetie," Sarah said as her smile returned. "I get that this is hard for you. You've been great. I'm really proud of you."

Chuck pulled the Porsche into the parking lot.

As they walked hand in hand towards Ellie's apartment, Sarah put her head on Chuck's shoulder. "I bet you're wondering," she said softly.

"About what?" Chuck replied.

"You're wondering how you can tell that it's real when I kiss you," Sarah said. "That's just natural. Admit it."

Chuck stopped at Ellie's door and turned to face Sarah. The slight shrug of his shoulders brought a smile in response.

"You can't tell," Sarah said. "Not by any physical sign anyway. I guess that's just one of those things about being in love with a spy. You just have to feel it." With that she got up on her tiptoes to be able to put her arms around Chuck's neck. "Let me show you what I mean."

It was unlike any kiss they had shared yet. It was certainly hot, but it wasn't really sexual. It was more loving. But it was also incredibly intimate, so in that way it was sort of sexual. Whatever it was, it was purely electric. As their tongues danced, Chuck lost all track of time. The kiss might have lasted for a single minute or thirty. He wasn't quite sure. All he knew for sure was that he never wanted it to end. So he wrapped his arms around Sarah and held her tight as they continued to kiss. She felt so soft in his arms that he closed his eyes to make sure that he could concentrate on how good she felt.

As they continued to kiss, Chuck could hear Sarah softly moan. That's when the realization hit him. She was enjoying this every bit as much as he was. He now knew what she meant. He felt it. Not only that, this very moment… right now, was the very highlight of his life. And nothing else really mattered to him anymore. Not Seth or Bryce. Not the CIA or the intersect. Not Fulcrum or living in an underground bunker. Not even the fact that the life he knew had been turned upside down and would never be the same again.

Chuck could sense through the fog of his mind that Devon had opened the door and was watching them kiss. How long he had been standing there Chuck couldn't guess. Yesterday, he would have died from embarrassment. Today, it just didn't matter. All that mattered was the electricity that was flowing through his lips. Devon could watch all night if he wanted.

All that mattered was that he had the most amazing woman in the whole world in his arms. And she was making him feel, well, he couldn't really say. Any words that came to his mind fell ridiculously short. He didn't have anything in his life to compare it to. He had always known that he was in love with Sarah. He had been for a long time. But suddenly the realization of what that really meant came to him. For the first time, he actually understood what Sarah meant when she asked him to trust her with his soul. And, for the first time, he also realized that she truly trusted him. If they got married tomorrow, or five years from now, they had become one. As their tongues continued their passionate dance, for the first time he knew that his life was no longer his own. For better or for worse it now belonged every bit as much to her. And the best part... She was now his just as much. It was something that he could count on.

Sarah Walker had now given herself to him.

x-x-x-x-x

Sarah had no idea that this kiss would end up being so important. Not to her decision. She was going to marry Chuck. That was never in doubt. Of course, they had kissed scores of times before. And it had always been very nice. More than very nice, hot even. Chuck was definitely a great kisser. But all those previous times put together couldn't hold a candle to the electricity Sarah was feeling now. She surely didn't plan it this way. She was simply trying to reassure Chuck before spending the evening with Devon and Ellie. Lately Chuck had seemed… well how would you describe it… off. It was like he was just waiting for something else bad to happen. And who could really blame him? Lots of bad things had happened lately. And more were yet on the way. She couldn't blame him at all if he didn't want to have anything to do with her. If he was smart he would run as fast as he could.

She had just told Chuck that she was proud of him. Even that sounded silly. She was much more than proud of him. There was the one thing that she knew. She didn't deserve him. She was damaged. She had done too many horrible things. And he had to find out she was married by flashing on the guy. He had to stand by and watch her convince him that she was going to allow him to fuck her into submission. Who could be expected to tolerate that? But he did. And at some level he was clearly still worried that she didn't really love him. Silly boy, if he only knew. If he really knew the intensity of how she felt, it would scare him. It sure as hell scared her.

And yet here he was, kissing her like she was the only other person in the world. She just felt so right in his arms. As an agent, she was taught to always be aware of her surroundings. But that was totally out the window now. The only thing she was aware of was how safe she felt, how his arms wrapped so tightly around her kept the rest of the world far away. She had never felt like this in her life. Nothing else even came close. If Chuck hadn't been holding her, she doubted that her legs would support her weight. She had totally surrendered to him. She never wanted it to end.

Sarah was vaguely aware that the door had opened. Although she didn't open her eyes, she was sure that Devon and Ellie were watching them. The last thing she wanted was to embarrass him. But judging from the way his tongue was still dancing, being embarrassed didn't seem to be the emotion that was registering.

It was irony in its purest form. She had kissed him to reassure him. But it was her that ended up being reassured. She had known for months that she was in love with Chuck. Love was even a poor word. She had a hard time describing, even to herself, how she felt using words. That had always frustrated her. But now, maybe for the first time, she understood in her heart what it really was, how total her surrender was. She was his now… and she would be for the rest of her life.

x-x-x-x-x

Devon had thought that he heard someone at the door. He and Ellie were expecting Chuck and Sarah so there was no surprise when he opened the door and saw them. He wasn't even that surprised when they were kissing. They were recently engaged after all. The surprise was how long they were going. And, goodness, how hot it was. Could it be possible that they were so into it that they didn't realize he was standing there? He was sure that they would break up as soon as they realized he was there. Chuck was bashful after all. But they didn't break up. If anything, it got hotter. Finally Devon felt awkward so he just left the door open for them and walked back into the house.

"Babe," Ellie called from the kitchen. "Are they here?"

When Ellie looked up Devon was franticly motioning towards the door. As she walked out of the kitchen to see what was going on, she caught sight of Chuck and Sarah kissing. "Oh my God," Ellie said with something of an embarrassed grin. "That is the hottest thing I've ever seen. How long have they been going at it?"

"I don't know," Devon responded with a silly smile of his own.

They both knew that they should turn away. They were watching a private moment, an intimate one. They just couldn't make themselves. It was like watching a train wreck. So Ellie leaned into Devon. He put his arm around her, they stood and watched in awe.

x-x-x-x-x

Finally the kiss broke. Chuck pulled back a little to be able to see Sarah's reaction. It was a long moment before she opened her eyes. When she did she was looking directly into the most amazing smile she had ever seen. She wouldn't have been able to keep the silly grin off her face even if she wanted to.

"Wow," Chuck whispered.

"Wow," Sarah agreed.

Sarah wanted to tell Chuck how much she loved him. But she was having trouble coming up with the right words to express her feelings. Everything that she thought of seemed far too lame to describe how she really felt. After a short moment, Chuck took the lead.

"I know," he whispered as if he could read her mind. "Me too. I'm sorry if I've had doubts. I promise that I never will again."

Sarah's slight nod as she reluctantly took a step back was more than enough to tell him that she got what he was saying. But it was the smile, the pure joy of seeing that Sarah Walker smile, the one that simply lit up the room, which had him floating on a cloud.

Suddenly Ellie was all over them. She had been standing there, waiting impatiently for them to separate. And when they finally did she pounced. Ellie had Sarah in a bear hug, had one arm around Chuck's neck, and was dragging them into the living room. All at the same time, it seemed. "Come and sit down," she said excitedly as she steered them towards the couch and pushed Chuck onto it. "Sarah, we're about ready to start dinner."

"I'm really looking forward to this," Sarah said as she followed Ellie into the kitchen. "Thank you for doing this for me."

As soon as they were alone in the kitchen, Ellie grabbed Sarah hands. "Oh – my – God," she said with a giggle. "That was the hottest kiss I've ever seen. Do you guys kiss like that all the time?"

"We've had our moments," Sarah whispered back. "But, oh my God, never like that. I can't explain it. We just connected somehow. I've never felt that way before in my life. Not even close. If you weren't holding me down, I'd run back out there and jump on him right now."

Ellie paused for a long moment. "I am so jealous," she finally admitted with no sign of teasing in her voice. "Don't get me wrong, Devon is okay in the passion department. But I've never been kissed like that before in my life. You've been trained in this seduction stuff. Sweetie, you have to show me how to make him lose control. I need to know how to make that happen."

Sarah was torn. Seduction wasn't a game to her. It was tricky, much more complicated than people thought, dangerous even, much too powerful a weapon for amateurs. On the other hand, this was something that she could do for Ellie. And she already owed her more than she could possibly repay. Probably the least she could do was to show her sister how to make Devon her lovesick sex slave. What was the harm in that? "Ellie," she warned. "This is sorta like learning how to catch knives with your teeth. There is simply no safe way to do it halfway. If you want to get Devon out of his comfort zone, then you're going to need to get outside of yours. You're going to have to play a role. And that role is not going to be prim, proper, and always in control Dr. Eleanor Bartowski. Are you sure this is what you really want?"

Ellie didn't pause for an instant. "I'm very sure," she said. "This is something I've been thinking about for a while. Even before I knew about you. I'm looking forward to it. I even need it. Please, Sarah. Please help me."

"I have one condition," Sarah said. "Chuck can't find out about any of this. He's very sensitive to the things I've done as a spy. It's hard to blame him for that. The very last thing he needs is the thought in his head that I'm playing a role with him. Let's understand something. I never have done that to him and I never will."

"Of course," Ellie said. "Like I'm going to talk to my brother about my sex life. He probably still thinks that I'm a virgin."

"Um," Sarah finally said. "I'm pretty sure that he doesn't think you're a virgin. Okay, Ellie. How far off the deep end do you want to go?"

"I want him on fire," Ellie said. "Unable to form a complete sentence."

Sarah thought back to yesterday with Seth. He was a pig. But he also wasn't all that atypical. It's just that he was bold enough to actually ask for what most men would keep to themselves. "Here's what men almost always want," Sarah said. "To be in total control. To know that you'll do any outrageous thing they can think of, with absolutely nothing off the table. Are you willing to do that?"

"Of course," Ellie said. "But I know Devon. He'll never treat me like that. He's far too sweet."

"It has to be a game to him," Sarah replied. "He has to believe that you want it more than he does, that he's doing you a favor, to know that there will be no consequences for whatever he comes up with. We'll type up a contract. But, Ellie, when you use terms like 'absolutely nothing off the table' and 'no consequences' you'd better be willing to live with that. What if he wants to invite another woman to join you? What if he wants to watch you with another man? Those things are not at all uncommon."

"Come on," Ellie scoffed. "This is Devon. Do you really think those things are a possibility?"

"No, I don't. Not really," Sarah quickly admitted. "But this is a dangerous game you're playing. It only works if Devon truly believes he has a free night to live out his wildest fantasy with no future consequences. If you don't mean that, then forget the whole thing. It could affect your relationship. It wouldn't be fair to entrap him into revealing the secret thing that he would never normally try to make happen and then hold that against him in some way."

Ellie went to the counter and opened her laptop. "I understand," she said. "Let's write the contract. What else do we need to do?"

"After dinner, we'll send the guys on a quick errand," Sarah said. "We'll work on your clothes."

"My clothes?" Ellie asked. "What's wrong with the way I'm dressed?"

"Nothing," Sarah said with a grin. "If you were going to a tea with some of your doctor friends at the country club, that dress is perfect. It's very cute, shows off you legs. If you want to wildly fuck Devon tonight, sell to him and every other man in that club that you're his plaything for the entire evening, and get him so hot that you might have to ice him down later, well, you're not showing nearly enough skin."

x-x-x-x-x

Chuck and Devon were on their way to the store.

"It's funny," Devon said. "How could we possibly be out of tequila? I just bought some."

"Well," Chuck said thoughtfully. "Ellie loves her margaritas. Maybe she loves them a bit too much."

"Maybe," Devon said as they shared a laugh. The idea of conservative Dr. Eleanor Bartowski with a drinking problem was particularly silly for both of them. "Maybe there are some other things that she needs."

But when he pulled the list out of his breast pocket where Ellie had tucked it, his eyes quickly widened.

_**FOR YOUR EYES ONLY**_

_You've probably already figured out that this is not a list of things to pick up at the store. We only need tequila because I poured the bottle you bought the other day down the drain. It was an excuse to get you out of the house while Sarah helps me pick out a new outfit for tonight._

_I propose that we play a game tonight. I use 'game' with a pretty huge grain of salt. This is certainly not for kids. Consider it a gift of love from me to you. Don't get me wrong. I'm going to have a good time – but this is your night._

_First off, this is a totally voluntary game. If you choose not to play, for whatever reason, that's your decision which I'll respect. I'll not lie. That would disappoint me, a lot. I'm really looking forward to it - so much so that I'm shaking trying to type this. But please don't let that influence your decision._

_Here are the rules of the game._

_My name is Elise. I'm an undercover agent. My assignment is to get close to Darrin, an international banker with suspected ties to terrorists and infiltrate his organization. My orders are to use any means necessary. Sarah tells me that standard procedure on this type of assignment is for the agent to seduce the mark, fuck him in different various assorted ways over a few days to find out what his likes are, and then keep him happy and distracted. They have been out already a couple of times. Tonight is the night where she is to begin that discovery process._

_Of course, you're Darrin. But here's the twist. You've been tipped off that Elise is an agent. You know that she will be willing to do anything you want to complete her assignment and pretend to enjoy it. So you've decided to play with her, to push her, to use her to fulfill your wildest fantasies, knowing full well that she has no way to refuse anything that you'd demand no matter how wild, and that after tonight, you'll never see her again._

_There is absolutely nothing off the table. Elise's job is to find out Darrin's sexual tastes and deliver them, no matter how unusual, wild, or even downright kinky they seem. She is very dedicated to her cause. She has a lot of experience in these things. So nothing would surprise her. She wouldn't refuse to do anything… literally anything that he asks._

_Here is the serious part. This is a game. It only works if we both agree that whatever happens between Elise and Darrin never impacts Ellie and Devon. No matter what happens tonight, we're going to spend the rest of our lives together._

_**Neither of us is allowed to ever hold anything that happens tonight against the other in any way.**_

_I'm so serious about that, that you'll notice I've signed this. I consider it a contract between us. If we do this, you need to also sign it. I'm 100% sure that I'm going to be able to comply. If you're not also 100% sure, it's probably best if we don't play._

_If you want to play (and good choice, by the way), sign this and hand it to me at some point tonight. That will begin the game. Elise will immediately surrender her panties as a symbol of her acceptance of Darrin's total control. Immediately means you might want to consider where we are at the time, unless you want Elise to put on a public display of removing her panties, which might perfectly well be something that Darrin would demand. From the instant you have my panties, we are Elise and Darrin for the next twelve hours. If you don't want to play, just tell me and we'll have a good time tonight dancing, get sloppy drunk, and I'll figure out some other way to get you a present._

_Eleanor Bartowski_

_P.S. Please get into the role. Yes, I fully understand that Devon is a warm, caring, respectful man who loves me, is protective of me, and would never consider treating me as a sex object. Ellie is a conservative doctor who truly loves you, honestly is far more grateful to have you than she ever expresses, and is actually pretty self-conscious about showing her body._

_Not tonight._

_Darrin is a pig who only thinks about his own selfish gratification. Elise is a flirty slut who would fuck anything on two legs. She enjoys teasing men. There are few sexual acts, situations, parings, or scenarios one could imagine that she hasn't already done at least once. Darrin cares nothing for Elise, is looking forward to using her as his toy, and is totally in charge tonight – in public and in private. Don't do anything you don't want to, after all tonight is all about you, but also don't hold anything back. We're going to drive to a club that's far enough away that we don't have to worry about seeing someone that we know. We have reservations at the hotel next door to the club. Remember, no consequences._

_P.P.S. Sarah knows all about the game. She tells me that Elise's assignment tonight is very believable. In fact most of the specifics are her idea. If you have any questions during the night, or need help with any logistics, Sarah will be able to help. It's probably best if Chuck not know. Don't worry. Sarah has assured me that she will keep him suitably distracted tonight. I believe her._

Chuck looked over to where Devon was sitting silently. Truth be told, he was pretty giddy about Sarah suggesting that they take the Porsche to the store. It was the first time he had driven her car without her. Silly maybe, but still a sign of how she really felt. "Something wrong?" he asked.

Devon didn't answer for a long moment. Finally he shook himself out of his daze and started breathing again. "Nothing's wrong," he said. Then he realized that his voice sounded like a six year old little girl. "Nothing's wrong," he tried again after taking a deep breath.

"Ellie just gave me the wrong list."

x-x-x-x-x

_A/N: What could possibly go wrong with Ellie's game, lol?_


	11. The Assignment

_This is not an original story. It was written during the middle of season 2. The original story assumed a sequel that never happened. So there will be some brand new content in this rewrite and several new chapters at the end._

_If you read the original (and good decision, BTW) you'll notice that some basic things have changed. In fact the number of chapters has changed. I've added new scenes and deleted others. This chapter is almost all new. The original had a couple of paragraphs about their night out dancing that now has expanded to this whole chapter._

_At first, I'll admit that this chapter was mostly gratuitous, an opportunity to take advantage of the story being rated M and put Ellie into a steamy situation. I don't think the show ever did enough with Ellie's character. She could have been much more than just the nag and the one to keep the secret from. I see her as Sarah's real girl mentor, as the person she turns to when Chuck confuses her. But I also think that the show didn't let us see enough about Ellie. She is a beautiful, formidable woman. She must have put herself through medical school and raised her brother all on her own. She has her own ambitions and desires. The original plan for Devon was that he was a Russian spy. I think that ultimately would have been a good decision. Not that I don't like Devon, I do. It's just that a single Ellie had so much story potential._

_But a funny thing happened. As I was writing this gratuitous steamy scene, the point jumped off the page at me. Indeed, now this chapter is more than just steamy. It is pivotal to the main story as Chuck and Sarah struggle to understand each other's perspectives._

_I realized that when I changed the rating, fewer people would read the story. It simply doesn't show up in the default list. I guess I'm surprised by how many fewer. But it can't be helped. There was no way to tell the story I wanted to tell and keep it T. You'll see why soon._

_Anyway, it's probably now more important than ever that the few of you that remain stay vocal._

_I still don't own Chuck._

_If you enjoyed this or any of the stories on this site, please take a second and send the author a review. It only takes a second – and it really, really makes a difference. That's probably more important than ever now that the series has ended. If you want to keep the Chuck fandom alive and continue to read about these characters, you really need to think about rewarding the people whose hard work make that possible._

**The Assignment**

x-x-x-x-x

As soon as the guys left for the store, Sarah went thumbing through the dresses hanging in Ellie's closet. Finally she found what she was looking for. "Okay, Ellie," she said. "Put this on."

"I can't wear that," Ellie said as she stepped out of the dress she had been wearing. "I bought that dress on a dare in Med School. I've never worn it outside. It's backless. I don't even have the right kind of bra."

"Perfect," Sarah said with a grin. "Because you wouldn't be wearing the bra even if you did have the right kind. I'm not sure there is a right kind. And while we're at it, you can't wear pantyhose. You need to wear stockings with a garter. In training if they ever caught anyone wearing pantyhose… well, they made sure they never would again. I'm thinking white stockings. We'll go for the slutty virgin look. Men love the illusion that they are deflowering you somehow."

"Sarah," Ellie protested. "Be reasonable. I can't wear this dress without a bra. It's way too sheer and low cut. You'd be able to see the bounce in every step I took. When we are dancing, I'd be flying…" Then she paused. "And that's the point, isn't it?" she asked.

Sarah realized something. She was enjoying being Ellie's mentor for a change. It felt good. "Exactly," she said. "This isn't the time to be reasonable. Trust me. Every single man in that club with the possible exception of Chuck is going to try and look down that dress at some point tonight. Dr. Bartowski would never wear something like that, would she?"

"No," Ellie said softly. "But I have a feeling I'm going to be doing a lot of things tonight that Dr. Bartowski wouldn't do."

That got a laugh. "Maybe," Sarah said. "Let me tell you a little secret. It's the real reason why many women are attracted to become agents in the first place. You get to play a role. You get to act like a complete slut, to wildly fuck anybody on two legs, to try things you'd only read about. And you get to do it totally without any guilt. It's not you, it's an assignment. So tonight we're leaving Dr. Bartowski home. Maybe she can do the dishes while we're gone. You're not her tonight. You're not bound by her image of herself or by the rules of conduct she's established. You're Agent Elise. Agent Elise is pretty wild. Where Ellie is modest, hides her fantastic body under layers of clothes, Agent Elise understands how beautiful she is, knows exactly what looking at her body does to men, and uses that fact against them without mercy. She simply loves to flirt, to tease, to make men think they have a shot at her and then just walk away leaving them burning. She would enthusiastically fuck anything on two legs for her country. And tonight she's on an assignment. She's putting on a performance for her mark. We need him to look around that room and see in every man's eyes how very much they would love to take you home and do what he's going to get to do to you. He has to realize that he currently possesses what every man in the room wants. So when you're bouncing around that dance floor… and every man's eyes in the room are glued to your tits, praying that they can catch just a peek when one comes plopping out, every single one of them imagining themselves dragging you home and fucking your brains out, it's just part of your job."

"Oh my God," Ellie whispered, more to herself than to Sarah. "I can see that. It's a huge turn-on. Sarah, is that why you became an agent?"

"Not me," Sarah quickly protested. "I hate that part of the job. I do it only when there is no other choice. I'd much rather kick a bad guy's ass than flirt with him."

"You seemed to be enjoying yourself beating up those three punks last night," Ellie said with a grin.

There was no point in trying to deny that. So Sarah didn't. "Hey," she said in mock defensiveness with her own grin. "Those guys had it coming, right?" But she quickly turned a bit more serious. "The truth is that this 'just playing a role' attitude can ruin people. I've seen it happen too many times. It makes them cynical. They stop associating sex with things like romance and love. It becomes just a temporary feel good thing to them. They become Carina and start seeking out opportunities to get wild on assignments when other methods would work, just to get that feeling. They warn you about that in training so I guess at some level I always knew it. But, Ellie, I have to tell you something. Being with Chuck has made me see it so much plainer. Sex, no matter how hot it is, is a cheap substitute for making love, not even in the same league."

Ellie's grin was relaxed and natural. "You really are totally lovesick, aren't you?" she asked. "If it wasn't so sweet, it'd actually be kind of sickening."

There also was no point in trying to deny that, not that Sarah wanted to in any way. "I really am," she quickly agreed. "Ellie, understand what I'm saying. There is nothing wrong with getting wild tonight. It's probably even going to make you ultimately closer to Devon. In fact, I envy you a little. Someday I hope that Chuck is at a place where something like this would work with him without being so dangerous. But remember what you have with Devon and how rare that is. Wild fucking is no substitute for it. So promise me that, no matter how intense things get tonight, Dr. Bartowski comes back tomorrow."

It wasn't hard to see that Ellie was really getting into this. The tremble in her voice was plain. "Oh my God," she said. "This is so exciting. I don't think I've ever felt like this before. But there is one problem. Chuck is going to be at the club. I don't think I can act like a slut in front of him."

Sarah laughed. "Don't worry about Chuck," she quickly said. "I've got this one. He won't remember you're in the room. Besides, you can't think of it as acting. Tonight you are a slut. It has to be natural. Other men will almost assuredly ask you to dance. You'll have to play that one by ear. Your mark will probably want you to. If you do, you're going to be putting on a performance for him. Flirt with the other guy. Bounce around that dance floor with him. If it's a slow dance, put your arms around him and hold him tight. Rub your chest against his. Make the other guy think that if this was another night, he'd be getting very lucky. Then smile sweetly, thank him for the dance, and return to your mark. Tell the mark how much you enjoyed performing for him. Thank him for giving you the opportunity."

Ellie grinned. "Why are you constantly calling him the mark?" she asked. "This is Devon."

"Not tonight," Sarah said. "Tonight he is your mark. You can't treat him like you would Devon. Even the sex has to be different. He is not looking to make love with you. That's a good thing because Agent Elise wouldn't know how to do that anyway. The thing she does know how to do is to perform. Whatever he asks for, no matter how surprising, unusual, or even disgusting it is… your smile has to say that you were hoping he'd ask. Be very deliberate when you're doing whatever it is he's asked you for. Look him in the eye and put on a performance. Tease him. Turn him on. Stretch it out for him. Stop halfway through and tell him how much fun you're having."

That got an even bigger grin. "Wow," she said. "Sweetie, those instructions are pretty specific. Sarah, come on. You've clearly done this before. How many times?"

The red in Sarah's face was quickly plain. "I've never done exactly this," she protested. "At least I haven't gone quite that far. I'm not going to pretend that CIA Agents get to pick their assignments, but I'm frankly high enough up the pecking order that I've been able to avoid the long term seduction type missions. Like I said, actual sex has always been a last resort thing for me. I've only done it if there was no other way and lives were at stake. I think that's as specific as I want to get here tonight. But I have sat in the van listening to the wire that was on Carina as she did this… only about a thousand times. So I guess that makes me something of an expert."

Ellie clearly wasn't convinced. "You're enjoying this," she protested. "I can hear it in your voice. I'm not going to let you get away without admitting that."

That got them both laughing. "Okay," Sarah finally admitted. "Yes. I think this is pretty exciting. I've watched this sort of scenario play out a lot of times. But this is different. You're doing it out of love. That's a first for me. It's going to be fun to watch. I'd love to be able to do something like this for Chuck someday. It's not going to be anytime soon."

"Watching?" Ellie asked cautiously. "Just how much are you going to be watching?"

Sarah couldn't keep the smirk from her face. "That's up to the mark, isn't it?" she asked sarcastically. "A lot of this is most likely going to happen in public… up to and possibly including some actual sex. We're going to be in a dark car driving for quite a while. You want me to keep Chuck distracted, right? How can I do that unless I know what's going on in that back seat? More than once I've looked in that back seat and found Carina basically naked with her head bobbing up and down in her mark's lap."

Ellie's mouth fell open for a long moment.

"I couldn't hear her very well," Sarah said in mock seriousness. "But I think she called it a Chevrolet Blowjob."

That got them both laughing again. "You're teasing me," Ellie finally said in relief. "Devon would never ask me to do anything that sexual knowing that Chuck is two feet away."

Sarah couldn't help but laugh at Ellie's innocent naivety. "Okay," she quickly agreed. "I'm teasing you a little. You're probably right. But Devon isn't going to be there, Darrin is. And Agent Elise has put him totally in charge. She's almost challenged his manhood to be bold. There's no telling what he might demand from her."

x-x-x-x-x

As soon as the guys were back, Ellie grabbed Chuck and pulled him into his room, ostensibly to go over which of his things could go into storage. But in reality it was so that Sarah could brief Devon.

As soon as they left, Sarah turned to Devon. "Do you have any questions?" she asked.

"Just one," Devon said. "Is she serious?"

"Serious may be an understatement," Sarah said with a smile. "She wants to give you the perfect night. She's willing to go a hundred miles outside of her comfort zone to give you this gift."

"She doesn't have to do this," Devon protested. "I would never ask her for something like this."

"Of course not," Sarah quickly said. "That's not the way to look at it. Tell me something, Devon. Did Ellie ask you for those diamond earrings she's wearing? They look pretty expensive."

"Of course not," Devon replied.

"I know," Sarah said with a grin. "The question was actually rhetorical. You bought her that expensive gift because you love her. You knew that she would enjoy them, that she would appreciate the gesture. You loved seeing the look on her face when she opened them. If she would have told you that they were too expensive, she didn't need diamond earrings, and to take them back, how would that have made you feel?"

Devon sat for a moment before the smile came to his face. "Point taken," he said. "So how far do I go? How wild do I get?"

"That's totally up to you," Sarah said. "Tonight is your night. I will tell you that Ellie hopes you don't leave anything on the table. The wilder you get, the more she'll consider the night a success. You're going to be surprised at her tonight. You saw the way she's dressed. Agent Elise is nothing like Ellie. She is pure sexpot. She is going to be bouncing quite literally around that dance floor flirting with anyone who even glances in her general direction. If that makes you uncomfortable, let her know. But otherwise, sit back and watch her perform for you. When a mood strikes you, tell her and watch her smile and immediately deliver it to you."

"No limits?"

"No limits," Sarah said firmly. "Not from Ellie, anyway. She's trusting that you wouldn't put her in any situations that were unsafe or illegal. If I could ask for something, this is not Ellie's rule, but I'd appreciate it if you didn't purposefully horrify Chuck. Don't worry. I'm going to be keeping him suitably distracted, especially in the car on the way. But if you've ever held back on asking Ellie for anything, tonight's your night. Her only hope is that tomorrow she has some new experiences to maybe save for a rainy day, she's seen you more aroused than she's ever seen you before, you are so exhausted that you can't move, so spent that sex doesn't even sound like a good idea for a week, and that you enjoyed opening your gift at least as much as she enjoyed opening her diamond earrings. As long as those things happen, I'm sure she is up for anything tonight."

x-x-x-x-x

By the time they got around to actually leaving for the club, Devon, Ellie, and Sarah were very, for lack of a better word, relaxed. The two pitchers of Margaritas that quickly disappeared had made that happen. Chuck held off on drinking for a couple of reasons. For one thing, he knew that he was going to have to drive home later. For another, he had promised to keep an eye out for Sarah's back tonight. She promised that she was actually going to be quite easy to keep track of. She assured him that she was never going to be more than six inches away from him at any moment. Not that you would ever hear a complaint from Chuck.

They were in the middle of a driving thunderstorm. It was one of those rains where the wipers simply couldn't keep the water off the windshield and you had to concentrate to see where you were going. Chuck had offered to drive, being the only one who was actually sober. And since they wouldn't all fit in the Porsche, Chuck drove Devon's Mercedes. Devon and Ellie gratefully piled into the back seat while Sarah snuggled as close to Chuck as the bucket seats would allow.

As soon as they were nicely on the road, Sarah turned the rear view mirror straight up so that Chuck couldn't see it. "Eyes front, soldier," she whispered in his ear. Actually, she didn't need to whisper. The rain beating on the car made it hard to hear anything anyway. "Trust me on this. You don't want to see what's going on back there."

Sarah wasn't spying on them, not really. But she was a spy, right? It's what she did. Besides she was sort of Ellie's mentor tonight, right? It was probably best to stay a little in tune with what was happening. Devon was clearly going to play. The back seat of that dark car would probably be the best spot for him to choose to turn into Darrin, especially with the rain making it even darker and impossible to hear anything. Sure enough, through the shadows, she could see Ellie… actually it was now Elise nod, reach up her dress, and slowly slide her panties down her legs.

Naturally Sarah was fully aware that Chuck knew something was up the instant they got back from the store. He wasn't stupid. He clearly noticed the way she was barely dressed, had never before seen his sister dressed like that. Not that he cared all that much. Ellie was an adult, more than an adult, a responsible doctor. She could conduct herself in any way she chose. He didn't want her poking around in his sex life either. He honestly loved Devon, trusted him as much as he trusted anybody in his life. He had zero question but that Devon would willingly throw himself in front of a bus to protect her. So as long as she was safe, little brother had no complaints. "What are they doing?" he whispered back. "Um, no details are required." Just because he wasn't concerned didn't mean he was eager to hear the gory details.

Sarah took a quick glance. Chuck had asked, right? It was pretty dark but she could see the hand that was clearly snaked up Elise's leg and into her dress. Sarah was forced to grin as she flashed back to the many times she had looked into that back seat with Carina. She wasn't lying to Ellie about that one bit. "Just some necking," she whispered with a soft giggle. "It looks pretty intense, maybe about to round third base."

Sarah really wasn't trying to lie to Chuck. It was an honest mistake. And indeed, their tongues were dancing pretty intensely. Both of Darrin's hands were firmly around the back of Elise's head keeping her face pressed to his. So that meant that the hand… well that was interesting. One thing was for sure, he was getting into the role, had given his toy her first task to perform. He must have believed her when she promised to keep Chuck distracted… or he no longer cared. Sarah decided that this was probably a good time to give them some privacy. The rain had started to let up just a little, so she moved down to start kissing his neck.

"Sarah," Chuck whispered. "What are you doing? Do you want me to wreck the car?"

"It's training," Sarah whispered in faux seriousness between wet kisses as she took her hand and ran it up Chuck's thigh, rubbing the outside of his slacks. "Don't worry about those two. We could set our heads on fire and they wouldn't notice." That certainly wasn't a lie. Sarah took a quick glance into the back. Elise was actually reminding her more and more of Carina all the time. Thankfully the dress was mostly still on. Maybe it was time to keep her end of this deal. So she turned her attention back to Chuck. "A good agent can keep their mind on the task at hand even when they're being distracted." The grin she was flashing at him was pure evil.

Sarah reached for his zipper. As soon as he realized what she was doing, Chuck reached down and firmly grabbed her hand. "Not here," he whispered frantically.

"Both hands on the wheel, Agent Bartowski," Sarah whispered playfully. "Training is nothing to take for granted. That is an order."

Chuck knew that tone. She was mostly teasing… but not totally. Not obeying her 'order' would have consequences, ones he didn't want to discover the specifics of in this car with Ellie and Devon. Thankfully it was far too dark to actually see anything in detail. And in this driving thunderstorm, both hands on the wheel were probably a good thing anyway. So he gave in.

As soon as he had complied she tugged on the zipper and deftly pulled it open. "It's time for your first distraction test," Sarah said. "This test is a little something that I learned from watching Carina. Too bad for you that we're not in a Chevrolet.

"Then you would definitely wreck the car."

x-x-x-x-x


	12. The Agent and the Asset

_This is not an original story. It was written during the middle of season 2. The original story assumed a sequel that never happened. So there will be some brand new content in this rewrite and several new chapters at the end._

_If you read the original (and good decision, BTW) you'll notice that some basic things have changed. In fact the number of chapters has changed. I've added new scenes and deleted others. This chapter is almost all new._

_At first my plan was to write a fairly steamy sex scene between Devon and Ellie (or more accurately Darrin and Elise) that was really fairly explicit. I'm not going to do that now. A funny thing happened. As I was writing the gratuitous sex scene, the point jumped off the page at me. Indeed, now this chapter is pivotal to the main story as Chuck and Sarah struggle to understand each other's perspectives._

_I realized that when I changed the rating, fewer people would read the story. It simply doesn't show up in the default list. I guess I'm surprised by how many fewer. But it can't be helped. There was no way to tell the story I wanted to tell and keep it T. You'll see why soon._

_Anyway, it's probably now more important than ever that the few of you that remain stay vocal._

_I still don't own Chuck._

_If you enjoyed this or any of the stories on this site, please take a second and send the author a review. It only takes a second – and it really, really makes a difference. That's probably more important than ever now that the series has ended. If you want to keep the Chuck fandom alive and continue to read about these characters, you really need to think about rewarding the people whose hard work make that possible._

**The Agent and the Asset**

x-x-x-x-x

Chuck was sitting at the table trying hard to catch his breath. He'd always known that Sarah was a freak of nature on the dance floor. But tonight was five times as worse.

Well, 'worse' might not be the most accurate term. The truth was that she had never looked more beautiful. Her joyous smile simply lit up the room. She was basically a sexy blonde tornado bouncing around that dance floor, full of energy… and maybe also a little full of tequila. She had said that she would probably become more affectionate when she was drinking. As it turned out that was a ridiculous understatement.

It was something that he found it pretty hard to complain too awful much about. Oh, he probably could have done without the hand job action in the car while he was trying to drive during a hellacious thunderstorm… with his sister three feet away. Fortunately, she hadn't done anything all that close to provocative once they were actually in the club. She was clearly being respectful of his well known aversion to PDA.

What she did do was to make completely clear, to an honestly skeptical audience, that she was with one Chuck Bartowski for the duration. The doe eyed look on her face as she sided comfortably into him at every opportunity made that quite obvious. Chuck couldn't really blame the men for being skeptical. After all, he was a pretty ordinary guy… and she was simply a goddess. Any man who was so bold as to test her commitment and ask her to dance, and there were a few, was quickly treated to a subtle but really good view of her engagement ring and a polite perhaps but also slightly coolly dismissive 'no thank you' that left no doubt what her interest in leaving her fiancé's side was – zero.

Chuck was actually a little embarrassed how good that was making him feel. Somehow it felt like showing off to him a little. But here was the most beautiful woman in the world, and she was making every not so subtle effort to make sure everybody knew that she belonged to him. "Thank you," he finally said.

Sarah laughed. Well, after she took a long pull of her margarita anyway. "What are you thanking me for?" she asked. The sparkle in her eyes was a clear indication of how good of a time she was having.

Chuck couldn't keep from laughing himself at how giddy she was. "Well," he was finally able to get out. "First, for actually letting me take a song off. I was getting close to needing some oxygen."

"No problem," Sarah said, still giggling. "Actually, I needed a drink. But I was also sort of hoping that I maybe might have to give you some mouth to mouth sometime tonight. That's the only way I can think of to get you make out with me in public."

"That's the other thing I'm thanking you for," Chuck replied in a teasing voice. "I feel like I'm taking the homecoming queen to the prom, and every man is looking at me like I must have won some kind of contest. I hope that didn't sound possessive or weird."

Sarah leaned over and gave him a quick peck, stopping well short of anything that could be considered PDA. "What it sounded like, is what it was," Sarah said. "Incredibly sweet. First, I'm no homecoming queen, not even close. Second, why should you worry about sounding possessive? I'm your possession." Then she quickly responded to his look. "Yes, I understand that thought makes you a little uncomfortable, that you would never treat me like a possession… but you could if you wanted to. Just like you're my possession." Suddenly the smile that lit up the room was back. "You don't see it do you? You honestly don't see how many women have been looking at you so lustfully on that dance floor, do you? Chuck, that's so sweet. Women might be a little more subtle than men in that regard, but trust me, it's happening."

"I seriously doubt that," Chuck responded skeptically.

"Wanna bet?" Sarah said. "Go ask that slut over there in the blue party dress that barely covers her clearly store bought tits to dance. She's been checking you out all night. I say that if you bought her one drink she'd be willing to go home with you… or even better head out to the parking lot for a quickie in your back seat."

"I can't even describe all of the things wrong with that plan," Chuck said. "First, do I really look stupid to you? Second, I doubt that she would be interested even if I was. Third, picking up women in bars is a little outside my skill set. But most important, why would I want to do that even if I could? If I wanted a quickie in the back seat, I'm positive just a single word could get the most beautiful, the most amazing woman in the world eagerly dragging me out there. Why in the world would I look anyplace else?"

Sarah leaned in to kiss him lovingly. This time the kiss lasted a while, firmly into PDA territory. "Wow," she said. "That was pretty sweet. Even if I hadn't already been in the mood to follow you out to the parking lot, I sure as hell would be now. You just don't get how sexy you are, do you? That's probably a good thing… and it's exactly why you're so sexy. If Miss Store-Bought-Tits over there checks out your ass one more time, you might just get an up close and personal demonstration of how possessive I am."

That got another laugh. "Please don't pick a fight," he quickly said. "Trust me. If I wanted to fight every man I've seen checking out your ass tonight, I'd be fighting half the bar… and getting my ass kicked a lot. Besides, instead of all this distraction stuff, why don't you just tell me?"

That faded her smile considerably. "Tell you what?" she asked.

"Relax," Chuck quickly said. "I'm not going to ruin our night. But what's up with Ellie? Since when does she dress like that? Why have I seen her rubbing up against so many other men that I've lost count? Is there something wrong between her and Devon?"

Sarah looked around nervously. "If I tell you," she said. "Will you promise to give me a chance to explain before you get mad?"

Chuck's smile never faded. "You have an explanation for this?" he asked with a nod. "I'd love to hear it."

"Ellie and Devon are playing a game," Sarah started cautiously. "Ellie is pretending that she is an agent seducing her mark."

"Okay," Chuck said, the confusion plain in his voice. "And what part of that were you worried would make me mad?"

"Some of the details might have been my idea," she admitted sadly. "I sort of mentored her on how to act like Carina for a night. I picked out her dress."

Even if Chuck wanted to blame Sarah for this, he knew his sister. If she wanted to do something, she found a way to do it. And if she didn't, well, it wasn't going to happen. "Did you pull your gun on her?" he asked with a grin. "Force her into that slutty outfit in any way, steal her bra maybe?"

Sarah quickly realized that Chuck was teasing her. That was a very good sign. But she wasn't ready to start breathing easy yet. "Of course not," she said. "Ellie came to me asking for help. I owe her so much, Chuck. I just couldn't say no to her. They aren't going home with us. They are spending the night at the hotel across the parking lot."

"Then why would I be mad?"

Sarah took a long sad breath. "Mad probably isn't the right word," she said. "I just don't want to put the idea in your head that if Ellie is playing a role with Devon…"

"That you might be playing a role with me," Chuck finished her thought.

Sarah nodded sadly. "I never have done that to you," she said. "And I never will. But I understand that you're very sensitive to that thought. So, yeah, the idea worries me a little."

"I think maybe you're underestimating me a little," Chuck said. "Oh, I know that I haven't exactly inspired confidence lately. I'll even admit that I've been childishly jealous in the past. I also understand that we see some pretty fundamental things differently. But you don't have to worry about me. I'm actually very secure in us. Whatever differences we have are pretty minor compared to that, aren't they?"

Sarah was never happier to be wrong about something in her whole life. "I have underestimated you," she said with a growing smile. "I seem to be doing that a lot lately. I'm sorry about that. If I can't talk you into a quickie in the back seat, let's go home and I'll try and think of a way to make it last a little longer."

"Let's go," Chuck quickly agreed. "But we rode with Ellie and Devon."

"There is limo waiting for us," Sarah said. "We ordered it when you and Devon went for the tequila. Why don't you go out into the parking lot and find it? I'll go to the ladies room and meet you out there."

"So," Chuck said with a grin. "That's what the 'training' was all about in the car. You were keeping me distracted."

"Maybe a little," Sarah admitted. "But for the record, I enjoyed it. As long as you're taking this so well, full disclosure means that you probably deserve to know that you weren't the only Bartowski getting a hand job in that car."

Chuck's face turned red. "Why would you tell me that?" he asked in mock disgust. "I guess that I appreciate the honesty. But there are some things that I simply don't want to know."

Sarah was clearly enjoying teasing him. "One major difference," she said in mock seriousness. "Ellie's hand was her own."

Now the disgust was real. "That's it," Chuck said. "Nothing more to drink tonight for you."

x-x-x-x-x

Chuck walked around the parking lot trying to find the limo that Sarah said would be waiting. It was incredibly dark. The thunderstorm had passed through some time ago and it was no longer raining. But the low clouds that remained hid the moon so the only light came from the club and the hotel on the other side.

He could see what looked like a group of people huddled together. Maybe they had seen the limo. It wouldn't hurt to check, right? But when he got a little closer, he could see that it was Devon and Ellie. They were surrounded by a group of men… and they didn't look at all happy.

That's all he needed tonight, to get into a fight. Sarah would not be pleased. But he was the agent tonight. He had promised her. And Devon was hopelessly outnumbered.

So Chuck picked up the pace.

x-x-x-x-x

Devon Woodcomb was a big, strong, incredibly fit, health freak. He had muscles on top of his muscles and abs that would make a body builder envious and the women on the beach openly drool. But he was also a soft spoken, mild mannered, gentle soul. Fighting simply wasn't in his nature. He preferred reason to fists. But it was looking more and more like he wasn't going to be given a choice. "Look," he said. "We're not looking for any trouble. We're just walking across the parking lot to the hotel."

The leader of the group was a fairly large man himself, maybe not quite as big as Devon, but clearly was used to fighting to get what he wanted. "Looks like this isn't your night," he said sarcastically. "You see, I hate cock teasers." He indicated with a nod of his head towards Ellie who was standing as close to Devon as she could possibly get. "This bitch has been rubbing her tits up against us all night. It's time she paid off. Maybe we'll join you. You can wait in the hall for an hour or so while we warm her up for you."

Okay, so the man had just said the magic words, the only ones that could provoke Devon into fighting. Threatening Ellie was a sure fire way. He gently pushed her behind him protectively. "Not going to happen," he said firmly.

"That's up to you," the man sneered. "You can just go home if you want while we party with the whore." Then he took a huge swing aimed at Devon's jaw.

Devon was a very athletic man. Perhaps he wasn't used to fighting but he was very quick and nimble. So he was fairly easily able to duck under the wild amateurish punch by pure instinct. He was even able to land a pretty decent counter punch of his own that knocked the man to the ground. Unfortunately, the man's five friends were far too much of a force for any one man to take on, no matter how athletic. One went to grab Ellie while Devon was quickly buried under a pile.

Ellie remembered Sarah from last night and tried to kick her guy in the groin. Unfortunately she missed. And since that was a sure fire way to piss any man off, it earned her a rather ungentle slap to the side of her face. It didn't do any real damage. It only stung for a couple of seconds. But it did convince her to stop struggling.

When Chuck came running up, he was torn. He could clearly see Ellie firmly in the grasp of some guy, who was clearly just as interested in copping a quick feel as he was in controlling her. But Devon was plainly in trouble. He was rolling on the ground taking a pounding from four men. So without thinking, he launched himself at the pile.

Pure surprise made that tactic actually work… for about five seconds. He was able to knock two of the men off Devon, which at least gave him a chance to protect himself. But those two men were far too much for Chuck to defend himself against. He quickly found himself taking a beating. One of the men got to his feet and launched a kick. It landed right in the middle of Chuck's gut and knocked the wind out of him. He could plainly see him draw his leg back for another kick when he suddenly went down in a heap, his night complete courtesy of a Sarah Walker kick to the side of his head.

When Sarah looked around the scene was pure chaos. Naturally her first priority was Chuck who was wrestling with the man who remained on top of him.

To his credit, he was doing okay. He wasn't winning by any stretch. But he was able to hang on enough and avoid taking any further punishment. All he could see was the streak of blonde hair as his adversary suddenly went limp, his night also finished.

When Chuck began to struggle to his feet, Sarah pushed him not so gently back down. "Stay right fucking there until I tell you otherwise," she growled. "That's an order."

Chuck knew the tone of her voice. Not that she was making any attempt to soften it in any way. It was probably best to obey this order. And his stomach was on fire anyway. So Chuck just slumped back down to the ground.

The leader had now recovered enough from Devon's original counter punch was he was back on his feet. He stood facing Sarah and pulled a knife from the waistband of his pants.

Sarah looked at the man in dismissive disgust, an ironic smile on her lips. When would these guys ever learn? "You're not holding that knife properly," she growled.

Ellie was so taken by the déjà vu that she stopped struggling against the man who was holding her and his hand that she had so far been able to keep out of her dress and from it's clear goal of playing with her breast. "Oh shit," she muttered to him with a grin that totally belied the seriousness of the current situation. "Here we go."

Apparently men with knifes didn't accept constructive criticism well. "Shut the fuck up," he growled. "At least now we have two bitches to party with."

Much like his brethren in stupidity last night, his knife quickly went clanging on the pavement. The follow up kick to the groin maybe wasn't quite as devastating as last night's but Sarah was in a hurry to check on Chuck. She maybe didn't have the leverage of two men holding her, so she settled for precision. It was still plenty more than enough to lift him off his feet, totally take the thought of any further fight out of the man, and send him back to the pavement rolling around in genuine agony, suddenly sorry that he got out of bed this morning. "Good," Sarah growled. "I like to party. Something tells me that you're not going to be up to it anytime soon."

Just as suddenly as the fight started, it was over. The redneck gang was clearly routed and ran away. Well, all except the two geniuses that had actually the nerve to touch Chuck. They were both still lying unconscious. The leader wasn't exactly running, it was more like hobbling. But they were clearly done with any further adventure for the night. Sarah stood squared off against them in a defensive posture and allowed them to retreat. Once she was convinced that they were really leaving she turned back to her family. On her way to Chuck she glanced at Devon who was just getting to his feet. "Are you okay?" she asked.

Devon was far too impressed at the demonstration he had just witnessed to be hurt. Besides, he really never took a solid punch. "I'm fine," he said. "A little winded."

Sarah walked over to where Chuck was still laying. He was doubled over in pain from the lasting effects of the vicious kick he had taken. When he saw her approaching, he tried to get to his feet. "Stay down," Sarah said firmly. "You're hurt." She went to check on his injuries when it struck her that there were two doctors standing there. So she turned to Ellie. "Can you look at him?" she asked. "He took a pretty savage kick." She turned to Devon. "Come on," she said. "I'll help you over to that bench and you can rest until Ellie can look at you."

"I don't need any help," Devon insisted as he panted for breath. "I really didn't take any serious blows. I'm just winded. Give me a minute."

"Okay," Sarah said. "Go sit down and catch your breath. I'm going to go find this moron limo driver who just blew his tip… and if I can get a kick in, possibly his chance for fatherhood. Wait here for me."

x-x-x-x-x

Devon reluctantly made his way to the bench Sarah had pointed out and sat down. It really didn't sound like a request. And the fire in her eyes certainly inspired obedience.

Ellie knelt down to where Chuck was now sitting on the pavement and felt around. "I think you're okay," she said with a relieved smile. "You're going to have a bruise. If you had any broken ribs, you'd be in a lot more pain. Take some Tylenol when you get home. If the pain hasn't eased by morning, go to the E.R."

The pain in Chuck's gut was already starting to fade a little. "How would you know?" he asked with as much smile as the pain would allow. "I don't think that Agent Elise went to Medical School. I picture her as more a graduate of Lap Dancing School."

If Ellie was surprised that Chuck knew about the cover name, she didn't show it. "That's true," she said facetiously. "To be honest, Agent Elise has no clue if you're okay or not. To be brutally honest, she really doesn't care all that much. She just wants to get back to her mark." But then she surprised him by wrapping her arms around his neck and squeezing for all she was worth. "Sweetie, I'm having the very best night of my life," she whispered. "Thanks for being cool. I maybe could have done without the fight, but I can't wait to see what happens next."

Chuck was surprised. Okay, that didn't come all that close. He badly wanted to grab her and deliver a stern lecture. After all, she had just come much closer to being gang raped than anybody ever should. But the words died on his lips. After the year he had just lived, lecturing anybody else to be careful, even his big sister, was so hypocritical as to be silly. And she was happy. At the end of the day, that's all that mattered. "Have fun," was all he said.

x-x-x-x-x

Sarah finally found the limo. She was so relieved that she actually let the driver live. Once they had Chuck comfortably in the back, she grabbed Ellie's hand and led her out of earshot. "Are you sure he's okay?" she asked.

"I'm sure," Ellie quickly. "In case you haven't noticed, he's sort of a baby when it comes to pain. If he had anything close to a broken rib, his wailing would be audible from outer space. If he's more than just sore in the morning, take him in for some x-rays. But that's not going to happen. Maybe next time we can actually go out without you having to kick a knife out of some moron's hand."

The relief actually made Sarah a little giddy. "Maybe," she sighed. "But I have to tell you, it happens a lot. Morons with knifes seem to follow me around, especially since I've been with Chuck. So how are you doing? How is Darrin treating you?"

"Oh my God," Ellie giggled. "He is such a pig. He's really getting into it. I'm pretty sure in the hotel he's going to make me try and stand on my head."

"So it's going okay?" Sarah asked with a smile.

"It's going better that okay," Ellie said. "Sarah, this is the best night of my life."

"It was one of mine too," Sarah said. "Until a few minutes ago."

"I know you're mad at him," Ellie said. "I think I understand why. But could you maybe go a little easy on him? There is no way he could watch Devon getting beat up by four men without trying to help."

"I know," Sarah sighed. "He's a hero in a nerd's body. I'm not mad at him, not really. I'd love to tell him that I'm proud of him. But that's exactly why I can't go easy on him. I have to figure out something. He has to learn."

"We simply can't have him getting himself killed."

x-x-x-x-x


	13. The Partner and the Pastor

_This is not an original story. It was written during the middle of season 2. The original story assumed a sequel that never happened. So there will be some brand new content in this rewrite and several new chapters at the end._

_Okay, I'll admit that I'm getting pretty frustrated by a couple of reviews. I put a warning in the very beginning of this. Yet, I'm getting complaints about the very thing I warned about._

_So let me say this as plainly as I can. This story is about Sarah turning from mostly spy and a little girlfriend into mostly girlfriend and just a little spy. Currently she thinks that sex is a valid weapon for her. By the end of the story, hopefully that will change. But for right now, she is pretty unapologetic about that. I think she has valid points, but that is an eye of the beholder thing. For those of you who see Sarah through the prism of mainly Chuck's girlfriend, she is going to fall short lots of times. But she is going to grow._

_So if you are one of those people who are uncomfortable with the concept that Sarah might use sex in her job, you are unlikely to enjoy this story. That's fair. But please, PLEASE, stop reading. This type of pointless, complaining review is exactly what the warning was designed to prevent. If you insist on reading after reading my warnings, you forfeit any right to complain. If enough people stop reading, I'll stop writing. But all you're currently doing is pissing me off. Both of the reviews I'm referring to are from people who have never written a story of their own before. I'm currently updating twice a week with mostly new content. Try that sometime before you bitch._

_Having said that, I am open to constructive criticism. I've learned a lot from critical reviews. A lot of ideas from reviews have made it into my stories._

_If you read the original (and good decision, BTW) you'll notice that some basic things have changed. In fact the number of chapters has changed. I've added new scenes and deleted others. This chapter is mostly new but there is a key scene that you might recognize. In the original it was much later._

_I realized that when I changed the rating, fewer people would read the story. It simply doesn't show up in the default list. I guess I'm surprised by how many fewer. But it can't be helped. There was no way to tell the story I wanted to tell and keep it T. You'll see why soon._

_Anyway, it's probably now more important than ever that the few of you that remain stay vocal._

_I still don't own Chuck._

_If you enjoyed this or any of the stories on this site, please take a second and send the author a review. It only takes a second – and it really, really makes a difference. That's probably more important than ever now that the series has ended. If you want to keep the Chuck fandom alive and continue to read about these characters, you really need to think about rewarding the people whose hard work make that possible._

**The Partner and the Pastor**

x-x-x-x-x

It was perhaps the longest limo ride of Chuck's life. He could tell that Sarah was pissed. But then again, drivers on the other side of I-15 could tell that Sarah was pissed. She was making zero effort to hide it. Chuck really wasn't sure what to do. For one thing, he wasn't totally sure why she was so upset. But he also knew her well enough to understand that trying to talk to her before she had cooled off a little was not going to go well. So they rode home in total silence.

It was when he saw her plop down a blanket and pillow on the couch that he knew this was serious and he had better address it. "Um, Sarah," he said cautiously. "Care to tell me why you're so mad at me that I'm obviously going to be sleeping on the couch?"

"I'm not mad," Sarah said quickly. "At least, not at you. That's not why you're sleeping on the couch tonight."

Chuck wasn't sure he believed that. She still looked pretty mad. "Then why?" he asked.

"You don't even know, do you?" Sarah sighed. "That's even worse. Chuck how many times do we have to have this discussion? You are the Intersect. People all over the world are looking to capture you and use your abilities. After they torture you for a few months and you're of no further value to them, they kill you. Are you trying to help them? You simply can't be putting yourself at risk."

"Are you talking about the fight?" Chuck asked, genuinely surprised. "Come on. Be fair. That wasn't anything to do with the Intersect. It was just some rednecks looking for trouble."

"Oh," Sarah said, the sarcasm dripping from her voice. "Maybe I'm being too harsh. Tell me how you knew that it wasn't Fulcrum using Devon and Ellie to lay a trap for you. You must surely know enough about Fulcrum by now to realize they would do that in a heartbeat. So the only logical explanation is that you must have known that it wasn't Fulcrum somehow. What you did was still stupid. But tell me how you knew and I'll drop this. Did you flash or something?"

Chuck held his tongue.

"I didn't think so," Sarah said angrily after she realized that Chuck wasn't going to respond. "You just don't get it at all. You are simply not a normal person. You have special responsibilities. Why do you think that Beckman made you an agent in the first place, Chuck?" Then without waiting for a response she continued her rant. "Because Casey and I forced her hand. We told her that she either had to support us or fight us. She was not at all happy about it and that is mild understatement. It was far more than just our careers we were risking. It was an incredibly tense moment. And honestly there was a time when it could have gone either way. What turned the tide was when we convinced her that you would honestly do the right thing if she trusted you. Now I'm going to have to report to her that the Intersect got into a fucking bar fight and sustained injuries. She is absolutely going to hit the roof, and with every good reason."

"Okay," Chuck said. "I get that."

"No you don't," Sarah insisted. "Not at all. I really wish that you did. Because there's a lot more. Forget all about your responsibility to the country for a minute. Forget all about Beckman or the CIA or doing the right thing. Do you have a clue in that tiny pea brain of yours what losing you would do to me? Do you? It would destroy me. It would end me, make me want to stop living. You claim to love me. You're willing to put me through that?"

That finally got a reaction. "I don't 'claim' to love you," Chuck snapped back angrily. "That was a low blow and you fucking know it. Do you think I could live after something happened to you? Yet you seem to willingly put yourself in plenty of dangerous situations. Do you 'claim' to love me? You need to be at least a little fair here. I'm not even sure what you would have had me do tonight. I walked up on four guys pounding on Devon. Did you really expect me to stand there and watch them kick his ass?"

"Of course not," Sarah snapped back. "But do you really think that joining him in getting his ass kicked was going to help in any way? You should have went for help, found me, went to the bar and got security, called 911 on your fucking cell phone, almost anything other than what you did. It was pure luck that I got there in time."

Chuck took a deep breath. "Okay," he finally said. "I get it. Maybe I could have handled it better. I'm sorry, okay? Can we please make up? I hate it when you're mad at me."

"I'm not mad at you," Sarah insisted. "Not really. That's not what this is at all. I'd love to be able to stand here and tell you how proud I am of you, let you know that you're a hero, my hero, drag you into the bedroom and make you forget all about the pain in your gut. But I can't do those things. It would send you the wrong message. You want me to me fair? I'm sorry, I can't do that. Fulcrum has no intention of being fair. So it's a luxury that we just don't have in fighting them. Chuck, I just don't know how to get through to you about this. I'm going to be your wife. But I've always been your bodyguard. I'm going to protect you, even if it means treating you like an asset for a while. Maybe spending a night on the couch will make you think about it next time something like this happens. If you think I'm happy about this in any way, you're crazy. The truth is, I'm dreading going into that bedroom alone. I probably won't get a minute's sleep without being cuddled with you. I'm getting punished far more here than you are. So, yeah, I guess that does make me a little mad at you."

Chuck could tell that there was no way to talk himself out of this. "Okay," he sighed. "I'm sorry."

"I know that you are sorry," Sarah said softly. "I'm sorry too. But sorry just isn't good enough. You simply have to change, to condition yourself to be overly cautious."

"I'll see you in the morning."

x-x-x-x-x

It was fairly intuitive that Chuck wasn't having a very good night, on multiple levels really. The pain in his stomach was mostly gone. Ellie was right, he did have quite an ugly bruise. But the pain had mostly faded. Now it was still pretty tender to the touch, but otherwise just a little sore.

The couch was ridiculously uncomfortable. It really hadn't been designed to sleep on in the first place, wasn't even long enough to allow him to stretch out his legs. Chuck found himself tossing and turning trying to find a position that would let him fall asleep. But that proved to be fairly futile.

But the real reason he couldn't sleep was more emotional. He had let her down. She was in that bedroom tossing and turning just like he was. He didn't have to see it to know it was true. The worst part was that, even if she wasn't being totally fair, she had a valid point. Jumping into that pile hadn't been very smart. They were still hopelessly outnumbered. All it would have accomplished was to get both him and Devon seriously hurt and Ellie… well who knows? He was supposed to be the brains of the operation. Maybe it was time to start acting like it.

But maybe he did fall asleep for a while. Because suddenly he realized that Sarah was kneeling on the floor next to him. She had his right hand firmly grasped in hers, her head lying on top of their joined hands. She looked to be sleeping.

His initial reaction was to wake her up and try to make up with her. After all, the couch maybe wasn't all that comfortable, but the position she was currently in looked horribly awkward. And there was a big comfortable bed twenty feet away just waiting for them. But by more instinct that anything, Chuck decided to stay still. He knew her. If he woke her up, she'd just go back to bed alone, back to her tossing and turning. It wasn't until he heard her speak that he realized she wasn't sleeping.

"I love you," Sarah said softly. "I honestly do. I have for a long, long time. Ellie calls me lovesick. She says there is no known cure. That's good because I don't want to be cured. I'm just wish I wasn't so miserable at it. I don't even know how to say it to you properly. And I know that you worry about it. That somehow you think that it isn't real or won't last. And I should be doing more to help you somehow. I understand that. And if there was something I could think of to make you realize the truth, I would do it. But if you really knew, Chuck, if I could just open my head up and let you look inside, if you could only see in there how much I love you, you'd honestly feel silly for worrying. You never would again. There is nothing that I wouldn't do if you asked me. If you really knew how I felt, how intense it is, it would probably scare you."

Chuck couldn't help the deep breath at hearing that… and that caused Sarah to pause until she was convinced that he was still asleep.

"And I'm so sorry that I'm not the girl that you deserve," Sarah continued as she gave the hand she was holding a squeeze. "I'm really trying to be. I'm so sorry for all of the crap that you have to put up with just to be with me. I really hope that you don't get tired of it. I'm so scared of losing you."

"And most of all," Sarah said as she tried to wipe the tears from her eyes with her free hand. "I'm sorry that I can't talk to you this way when you're awake. I'm not even sure why it's so hard. It would help you. And you deserve it. You deserve so much that you're not getting. It's just that I don't have a clue what I'm supposed to be doing. I'll be the first to admit that I'm struggling with that. Please hang in there with me. I know that it might not look like it to you but I'm trying my best. Please don't give up on me. Don't ever give up."

Chuck wanted so very badly to open his eyes. He wanted to wrap his arms around her and make her demons go away. He wanted to tell her that he felt just as strongly about her. That he would die before he gave up on her, make doubly sure she knew how silly that thought was, that he didn't even know where it was coming from. But he instinctively knew that she wouldn't want that tonight. Chuck understood that it was therapeutic for her to softly talk to him without him hearing. So he did the only thing that he could do. He stayed still on his back and pretended to be asleep while the love of his life softly struggled to offer words of love. And, okay, maybe they weren't the most eloquent words. But they were honest, the very best that she could come up with through her tears, and wow were they effective. He promised himself that the very second he could, he would make her feel as loved as he was feeling right now.

It's funny how life works. Chuck was spending his first night on the couch since becoming a couple. He was having a bad night. There was no question about that.

Until right now. Suddenly it was the very best night of his life.

x-x-x-x-x

Pastor Bob Michaels sat in his office working on his sermon for Sunday. It was honestly a part of the job that he loved. But then again, he loved most parts of his job.

Bob always approached his sermons more like a college professor would approach a lecture. If he had a criticism of his brethren, it was that their sermons tended to depend too much on pure emotion. Oh, Bob certainly was willing to use emotion when it was appropriate. A person's relationship with God was an emotional subject. But that emotion had to be based upon solid logic. The comment he enjoyed the most was when somebody told him that they had learned something that Sunday morning.

He was so consumed with his thoughts that he didn't see the man approach until he wrapped softly on the open office door. "Chuck," Bob exclaimed warmly as he immediately got up to greet him. "What a nice surprise."

Chuck wasn't really a hugger by nature, and especially with another man. But with Pastor Bob it just seemed natural, it was his way. Even after having only met him a couple of times, it was something you just expected. "I'm sorry to just show up like this," Chuck said. "If you're busy…"

Bob scoffed at that notion. "Don't be silly," he said as he guided Chuck to a padded chair and took a seat beside him. "I'll never be too busy to talk to a good friend. Where's Sarah?"

Chuck looked around the room nervously. The long answer was that she was getting ready to drive to Vegas to act the part of the sexual toy of her ex-husband and possibly many others. She was currently passionately kissing her partner goodbye to sell that they were engaged. But that was not the reason he was here. "She's working," he finally settled for.

Bob looked at Chuck and smiled. "You must know me by now," he said with a short laugh. "I'm a 'get right to it' kind of person. So let's get right to it. What's bothering you?"

Chuck looked at the floor, at the wall, out the window, anyplace but at Bob. "It's Sarah," Chuck started. Then he laughed nervously a bit. "But you've probably already figured that out, right?"

"She's quite a handful," Bob answered.

That got them both laughing and broke the tension in the room.

"She's quite a handful," Chuck agreed, still laughing. "You don't know the half of it."

"So what's wrong?"

"Here's the deal," Chuck said. "You're aware that Sarah and I see some things differently. And I don't want to cave on some of the things that I believe. But how do I do that without making her worry that I have doubts about us?"

"Do you have doubts?" Bob asked gently. "Chuck, it's okay to admit that. It doesn't mean that you don't love her. You disagree on some pretty fundamental things."

"Bob, I have zero doubts," Chuck said flatly. "That's as plainly as I can say it. I feel like my life began the day that Sarah walked into it. I can't imagine a future without her in it."

Bob smiled as he heard the honest conviction in Chuck's voice. "I sense a 'but' coming," he said playfully.

"But she's hurting," Chuck admitted. "She interprets our disagreements as more than they are. You called them fundamental a second ago. I don't see it that way. Sarah has perfectly legitimate arguments for the way she believes. I just disagree with her on some things. They certainly don't make me love her any less."

Bob's smile grew as he listened. "Let me read you a little scripture," he said as he opened his bible. "If you've ever attended a wedding, you've probably heard this. It's the scripture most often quoted. I usually refrain from using it in my weddings, just because it is cliché… and well, I'm something of a rebel. But I do think I am going to use it when I marry you and Sarah. It seems to fit somehow. It's from the 13th chapter of 1st Corinthians."

_If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing._

_Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres._

_Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known._

_And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love._

Bob closed his bible. "It's always risky to take scripture out of context," he said. "Paul was certainly not talking about love in the context of a marriage, or even romantic love for that matter. But still, I believe this applies to your situation. What Sarah needs is to know, with zero ambiguity, the things that you just told me. She needs to understand that when you disagree with her, it is from a position of pure love. Of course she needs to hear that from your lips. But much more important, she needs to feel it from your actions. Sarah is a pretty strong person. She thinks that she always has to be the strong one in every situation, that's who she is. I can see how it might be hard to get her to sit still and listen to you. But maybe it's time to man up, Chuck, to put the ways of childhood behind you."

Chuck nodded as a smile, faint at first but quickly growing, took over his face.

"I have to tell you something," Bob said with his own smile. "I've been doing this for over thirty-four years. I can't imagine having another job. I've married scores of people over those years. But I've never met a couple as perfect for each other as you and Sarah are. It screams out just looking at you whenever I see you together, even when you disagree on things. Your love has been rigorously tested, ridiculously so. It has passed every test that life could throw at you. You've both proven over and over that your love is real. Maybe it's time that you both started depending on that love. I probably don't have to tell you how very lucky you are, Chuck."

"But, then again, so is she."

x-x-x-x-x

Sarah was sitting in Castle with Casey going over the plan for today and beyond. "Laura has certainly figured out by now that my cover is working at the Orange Orange," she said. "She almost assuredly will be watching the building for any sign that we're not really together. Hopefully she'll see as we kiss goodbye. If I know Laura, she will be aggressive, most likely follow you right over to the Buy More after I've left and start trying to make contact. It's probably best if you play dumb about knowing any of my personal history. You can just claim that we agreed not to discuss our prior lives. Laura knows me. She will find that very believable."

"Roger that," Casey said impatiently. "Don't worry about me. This is not my first rodeo. When are you going to know what you're going to do?"

"I'm meeting with Seth tonight," Sarah said. "Assuming it goes well with you, I should know then. When we kiss goodbye you should probably reach up and cop a quick feel."

Casey paused for a long moment. "I don't want to do that," he finally said.

"No kidding?" Sarah said flippantly. "Not half as much as I don't want you to. It'll be a nice touch though. It's something a fiancé would do, sell to Laura that we're romantic. Use your left hand. I'll make sure we're turned so that she'll be able to clearly see it."

"You're not understanding me," Casey said firmly. "I'm not doing it."

"Why?"

"Chuck is my partner," Casey said. "He's also my…"

"Oh my God," Sarah said in frustration as she buried her face in her hands. "Not you too. I expect this foolishness from Chuck, but certainly not from you. This is a mission. We're trying to sell something. I'm wearing a bra. You're not really going to be feeling much. Chuck wouldn't care. He won't even know about it."

"I'd know," Casey said firmly. "I'm telling you, it's not happening. I'm not putting my hand on your chest. Deal with it. And you're wrong about Chuck. He would care… a lot. And he should."

"Men," Sarah muttered dismissively. "I don't fucking believe this."

"You just don't get him at all, do you?" Casey demanded angrily. "Don't give me that professional crap, Walker. I'm not naive. I understand why seduction is necessary sometimes, why it's such a powerful weapon. I've stuck up for you to him. You know that. I would again if the situation required it. But tell me something. Just why do you think all of your seduction tactics are so effective anyway? You've spent literally hundreds of hours studying men and what they want in order to manipulate them. But you haven't spent one fucking minute studying what a husband is or what he doesn't want. For all of your smugness, all of your tactics and techniques there is something that you don't understand and never will – what it's like to be a man. Chuck knows precisely what the men you are playing are thinking, because he's had those same exact thoughts. He has put up with a ton of crap already, frankly more than I thought that he'd be capable of. Trust me. No man wants his friend's hand on his fiancé's chest no matter what the reason. If this were life or death, maybe. But it's a silly detail that doesn't matter. I'm not doing it."

"Fine," Sarah muttered.

"Let me ask you something," Casey continued. "Why would you even suggest this? In your estimation, is this detail really worth causing Chuck pain? The kiss alone is bad enough."

"Of course not," Sarah said sadly. "I would never intentionally hurt Chuck. I didn't think it would cause him any pain. I'm still not sure why you think it would."

"Well," Casey said. "I think maybe I see the problem. You'd better start learning… quick."

"I know," Sarah said with a sigh. "You're right about one thing. I don't have a clue what I'm doing. That much is pretty obvious. Look at me. I'm actually taking relationship advice… from you."

That broke the tension in the room and they both started laughing.

"Admit it," Sarah said with her eyes sparkling as soon as she could stop laughing.

"You love him too."

x-x-x-x-x


	14. The Rock

_This is not an original story. It was written during the middle of season 2. The original story assumed a sequel that never happened. So there will be some brand new content in this rewrite and several new chapters at the end._

_If you read the original (and good decision, BTW) you'll notice that some basic things have changed. In fact the number of chapters has changed. I've added new scenes and deleted others. Most of the scenes of this chapter were in the original in some form. But they were spread out in three different chapters._

_I'm currently on vacation with my family in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. So to those who reviewed the last chapter, I apologize for not responding. But to Moo I'd like to say, come on. You simply can't judge Sarah as merely Chuck's girlfriend. She was never just that. Especially in early season 2 when this story is set. Chuck needs protection. That's Sarah's job. Doing her job doesn't mean Chuck is a cuckold. Not fair, Moo. Try signing a review sometime so I can respond to you directly._

_I realized that when I changed the rating, fewer people would read the story. It simply doesn't show up in the default list. I guess I'm surprised by how many fewer. But it can't be helped. There was no way to tell the story I wanted to tell and keep it T. You'll see why soon._

_Anyway, it's probably now more important than ever that the few of you that remain stay vocal._

_I still don't own Chuck._

_If you enjoyed this or any of the stories on this site, please take a second and send the author a review. It only takes a second – and it really, really makes a difference. That's probably more important than ever now that the series has ended. If you want to keep the Chuck fandom alive and continue to read about these characters, you really need to think about rewarding the people whose hard work make that possible._

**The Rock**

x-x-x-x-x

Well Sarah was sure right about one thing. As soon as Casey was comfortably back from his 'goodbye' kiss and into the sales area, he could see what must be Laura Carter walking through the front door. Even though he had seen her picture, the live shot was ten times better. Sarah was right again, she was absolutely gorgeous. She looked like she had just stepped off the page of a swimsuit calendar.

"Where does the CIA find all of these babes?" Casey said under his breath.

At about five feet, six inches, Laura Carter had jet black hair that hung over her shoulders and sparkled in the light as she walked. She had a very fair complexion with absolutely no hint of imperfection and perfect sparking white teeth. One was immediately drawn to her big green eyes. She certainly carried an air of girl-next-door innocence about her. But when you looked closer she also clearly knew what she was doing. Once you could tear your attention away from her eyes, the main feature that stood out at you was her beautiful long legs. And, based on her choice of skirts, she obviously knew it. The slit was definitely high enough to get your attention. Every eye in the store, of either gender, was on her as she walked confidently up to Casey.

"Hi," Laura said as she stuck out her hand with a dazzling smile. "Are you John Casey?"

Casey was a trained agent. He had been around and worked with beautiful CIA Agents before. Of course there really wasn't any other kind. But even having said that, he was a little taken aback at how truly lovely she was. He also knew full well why Agent Carter was here. Yet when he looked up he found himself looking into the green eyes of very possibly the most beautiful woman in the world. He actually had to take a moment to calm his voice and make sure he didn't sound like a four year old. "Yes, ma'am," he said hesitantly as he accepted her hand and shook it softly.

"My name is Laura Carter," she said in a friendly but businesslike tone. "I'm looking for Sarah Walker."

Casey knew how the game was played. "Sorry, Miss Carter," he said with a smile. "I've never heard of her."

Laura was totally expecting that response, would have been disappointed in anything else. After all, they were both covert. "Come on, John," she said softly as she leaned in so that only Casey could hear her. "My name is actually Agent Carter. I'm Sarah's best friend. We roomed together at the Academy. Sarah's told me all about you. I went over to that Orange Orange place where she works looking for her but she wasn't there. Do you know where she is?"

"I'm sorry, Agent Carter…" Casey began.

"Please, John," Laura interrupted softly with her softest smile. "This isn't an official visit. I'm on leave for two whole weeks. Hopefully we can be friends. Call me Laura."

Casey was quite possibly looking at a Fulcrum Agent, a traitor who was working against every single thing he believed in. But in spite of everything he knew, Casey still couldn't help the tingle at seeing that amazing smile. "Okay," he said with his own smile that he hoped looked appropriately calm. "I'm sorry Laura, but you just missed her. She went to clear up something with her ex husband for a couple of days. She just left for Vegas a few minutes ago."

Laura looked at him critically. In that stupid salesman green shirt, he didn't look like an agent. This had to be the worst cover in the history of the NSA. _I'll bet he curses this assignment every night._ But once you looked a little closer, he clearly wasn't a TV salesman. In fact, he was pretty damn sexy, in a tall, dark, smoldering sort of way. Clearly he wasn't Sarah's type. She went for the pretty boys. Truth be told, this John Casey was more her type. It actually gave her more than a little hope that maybe fucking this guy into submission wouldn't be such a chore after all. "Shoot," she said in disgust. "You're kidding. I knew that I should have called. I was trying to surprise her. We haven't seen each other in a couple of years. Is her dad still in San Diego? When did he get out of jail?"

Playing dumb about Sarah's past was actually pretty easy. All he knew was what was in her file anyway. "I'm not sure," he said awkwardly. "We try not to talk about our prior lives too much. You know Sarah. She's pretty private. And with the life we've both led, well, it makes things much less complicated."

Laura thought about it for a moment. That actually made a lot of sense. There were tons of things about her that Seth didn't know about, nor care. And Sarah was more private than she was, incredibly so. And it was actually good news for her mission. She now knew more details about Sarah than he did. That was always a good position for a spy to be in. "So," she said with a grin. "She has never told you about me?"

"I'm afraid not," Casey said with his own grin. "I'm very sure I would have remembered."

He was flirting with her. Not only was that a very good sign for her objective, she could clearly feel the tingle in her own loins. "Well then," Laura said with a sly smile. "What time is your lunch? We can go back to my room and get better acquainted. Maybe we can order some room service and I'll tell you some wild stories about your gal that you'll never hear from her. There's no way you could say no to that. I promise that you'll have fun." _Maybe I'll have some fun too._

"Sounds like a good time," Casey said with a smile. "Actually I have the afternoon off. I can go right now if you're ready."

x-x-x-x-x

"So," Laura said as she popped a French fry into her mouth. "Have you guys set a date?"

"Not yet," Casey said as he sat his beer bottle back on the table. "We're not in any hurry. Actually our current thinking is that we might wait until this assignment is over. We're actually pretty much together now. Who knows where we'll land next? It almost assuredly won't be together. That never happens, right?"

"You say that Sarah is going to see Seth," Laura said with a smile. "What do you know about him?"

"Is Seth her ex husband's name?" Casey asked. "I guess that alone would answer your question. We've agreed to never ask questions about each other's past. It's a lot less complicated that way."

"Really," Laura said softly. "Most couples would be curious."

"You know the life we lead," Casey said with a laugh. "If we had to explain every time we slept with another person or betrayed someone, that's all we'd be doing. We decided that we would just start from scratch."

"I hope you won't be offended, John," Laura said with a smile. "But you don't seem like Sarah's type to me at all."

That got a serious laugh. _If you only knew._ "I'm not offended at all," Casey said. "I'm always thinking the same thing myself. I'm not sure why she wanted to get engaged. We've agreed not to demand anything from each other. Sarah is pretty liberal about whom she… um… whom she…"

"Fucks?" Laura suggested with a smile. _Wow. So maybe Sarah has changed a bit._ That was actually good news, as long as she stayed the hell away from Seth. "It's okay, John. I've heard the word before. Most agents are pretty free about who they fuck, right? It comes with the territory. She's trying her best to adjust. You can't believe how many hours I've spent on the phone talking to her about it. You probably don't know how uptight she was. That's what broke up her first marriage. She got tired of coming home from a mission and finding him in bed with someone else."

"Really?" Casey asked. "That doesn't sound like the Sarah I know at all."

Suddenly Laura had her strategy. This was going to be easy… and a fair amount of fun. "She's really been struggling with it," she said. "That's for sure. She's not going to make that mistake with you. Maybe she's even over-compensating a bit now. If she's not careful, she's going to turn into Carina. Is what she tells me about you true?"

"I don't know," Casey said. "What did she tell you?"

"That you are the best fuck she's ever had," Laura said with a grin. Men loved to hear that, even when it wasn't even all that believable. "No offense, John, but I was skeptical. Last time we talked she told me to come and find out for myself."

When Casey looked up, she already had unbuttoned her shirt. Since the bra was pretty much non-existent, he was basically staring at her pert breasts. "Really?" he asked with a grin as soon as he could tear his eyes off her chest.

Laura was now rolling her stockings down those incredibly long, toned legs, leaving her standing there in only her panties. "Really, really," she said. "Not to put any pressure on you or anything, but she stuck up for you. I don't think she'd like it if I couldn't agree with her. After all, we're pretty competitive. And there's something else you should know. I'm not that easy to impress when it comes to fucking. I'm something of a connoisseur. For me, 'best fuck ever' is quite a mountain to climb."

Casey just sat there and watched as she slowly slid down her panties and then playfully tossed them at him as she stood there naked posing.

"So, John," Laura said with a seductive smile as she reached over to kiss him.

"Maybe you should make sure that I get your very best effort."

x-x-x-x-x

Casey was back in his apartment smiling broadly. One thing was for sure. He had always been an admirer of the competitive nature of agents. It was a characteristic that was common for military types as well. But, he had to admit, his admiration was never higher than it was right now. He was so caught up in reliving his afternoon that his cell phone ringing startled him. One look at the caller ID told him it was Sarah.

"Casey, secure," he answered.

"Walker, secure," was Sarah's sad response.

"What is your status?" Casey asked.

There was a long pause. "I've made a decision," Sarah finally said slowly after a huge sigh. "John, I'm not coming back."

"What do you mean?" Casey said in a confused tone. "You have an assignment."

"Seth is my first love, John," Sarah said as she fought to keep from breaking down. "I didn't know this was going to happen. I don't understand it myself. But I still love him. I have to find out if it can work. I'm so sorry. Please don't hate me."

"Sarah," Casey said softly. "Please don't do this. Please."

"I'm sorry, John," Sarah said as she began to cry. "I need you to take care of things there."

"Sarah, please," Casey said as his own voice broke. "You don't understand what this kind of betrayal does to a man. It can destroy him."

"I know," Sarah said. "I never meant for this to happen. I swear. I need you to be strong. I'm afraid that we're going to be on opposite sides from now on. I'm not going to insult you by telling you that I love you. But I need you to know how much I respect you."

"Sarah, please," Casey said. "I'm begging you. Please think about what you're doing, who you're hurting."

"Goodbye John," Sarah said. "I'm counting on you."

"Sarah, no…" but Casey was speaking into a dead phone.

Once he realized that the line was dead, Casey simply dropped the phone on his desk and slumped in his chair.

x-x-x-x-x

Seth Roberts answered his cell phone.

"Hi, Baby," Laura said. "How is Vegas?"

"Great," Seth said. "I'm up over two hundred bucks at blackjack."

Laura let out an exasperated sigh. "No, baby," she said. "I meant do you have your new assignment?"

"Not yet," Seth said. "He is waiting until I introduce him to Sarah. I can't wait until he sees her. His eyes are going to pop out."

"Yeah, about that," Laura said. "I just had lunch with her new fiancé."

"Lunch?"

"Well, we ate first," Laura said. "That's two bets in a row that you owe me. You know what that means?"

"What did you find out?" Seth asked.

Laura grinned at Seth so obviously changing the subject. Oh there was no way in hell that she was letting him off the hook on his one. Whenever he won one of these bets, he demanded that she hit her knees and stay there until whatever debt she had accumulated was totally paid. Even though it was a duty that Seth wasn't particularly good at, and didn't pretend to enjoy, she was going to enjoy every second of his payment. But she also struggled in how much to tell him about lunch. Oh, normally she would be eager to brag to Seth about being the recipient of a particularly good fuck. He sure would and often did brag to her. And John Casey had just stunned her. It was maybe not the best in her life, but it sure as hell was the best she could remember. He put Rock to shame. He was Rock… on steroids… with actual foreplay. Maybe Sarah and John did make some sense after all, if she was getting that on any regular schedule. But rubbing Seth's face in it probably wasn't so smart right now. Especially given the request she was about to make. Besides, she had something entirely different planned to rub Seth's face in. "He's pretty good, actually," was what she settled for. "I was surprised."

"No, smart ass," Seth replied. "I mean what did you find out about Sarah?"

Laura paused for a moment. "I never would have believed it," she finally said. "It looks like she is on the level."

"Really?"

"I heard them talking on the phone," Laura said. "She broke up with him. She said that she was still in love with you and had to see if it could work. The poor bastard was close to crying.

"See," Seth said triumphantly. "I told you. She's completely crazy."

Laura still wasn't convinced. "What exactly did she say to you anyway?" she asked.

"I don't know," Seth said dismissively. "It was a bunch of babbling bullshit about how she was lonely and she missed me and how she didn't mind the other women as long as I was up front with her. She said that we could have an open relationship, that when we were together she would come and be my obedient little wife. That she would do anything I asked to prove to me how much she'd changed."

"She said that?"

"She said those words exactly," Seth replied. "I seriously think I can get her to do anything. She's crazy."

Laura paused for a moment. "Let's find out."

"What do you have in mind?"

"I'm not sure yet," Laura said thoughtfully. "Let me think of something to test her really good. I'll be there tomorrow."

"Okay," Seth said. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Seth," Laura warned. "You remember your promise don't you?"

"I guess."

"Please, baby," Laura pleaded. "Don't make me act all psycho jealous. You promised me."

"But you are psycho jealous."

"That's right," Laura quickly agreed. "I am. And if I hear that you have touched her before I get there, I'm going to hurt you."

"Come on baby," Seth scoffed. "Just how are you going to hurt me?"

"Are you really going to challenge me here?" Laura asked incredulously. "Seth we have a deal. You're getting rewarded quite generously. If you fuck with me on this, I'm going to wait until you're sleeping and cut you. And I think that you know where. And, baby, you know beyond any doubt that I will do it."

"Okay," Seth said laughing. "You win. I won't touch her. When are you going to be here?"

"I can't get a flight until tomorrow," Laura said. "I'll be there about noon. I love you."

"I'll see you then."

"Thank you, Seth," Laura said. "You won't believe how I'm going to make this up to you."

x-x-x-x-x

As soon as Sarah ended the call with Casey, she just stood there sadly as she let her phone fall to the floor. After a couple of minutes, Chuck, who had been standing there holding her hand all the time, bent down to pick up her phone. Then he took her into his arms.

"Do you want to tell me why you're still acting so sad?" Chuck asked with a concerned smile on his face. "I'm sure that Casey has been dumped by fake girlfriends before."

Sarah lifted her face from his chest to look at him. "It's got nothing to do with Casey," she said. "I'm worried about you. I've been acting like such a bitch. I'm afraid that I'm damaging you… us. I don't know what to do."

But to Sarah's surprise, Chuck scooped her up, carried her to the bed, and sat down beside her. "We need to talk," he said.

Sarah nodded tentatively, obviously afraid of what he was going to say. The fear was clearly present in her eyes.

"In the first place," Chuck started. "I believe that we've agreed that you will never refer to yourself as a bitch. That's a hot button word for me. You're not a bitch. Okay?"

Sarah nodded.

"Here's the deal," Chuck said. "We talked last night about some of my behavior that needed to change. I didn't like being treated like a child at the time. In the future I hope that we can find a better way to make your points. But after I thought about it for a while, you did have some valid points. I'll seriously make an effort to think things through better, to protect the Intersect better, not because I spent a night on the couch, but because you've convinced me that you're right. But now we need to talk about some of your behavior that needs to change."

"I know," Sarah whispered sadly. "I'm not treating you very well. I get that. You have every right to be mad. But Chuck…"

"I don't think that you do," Chuck interrupted with a soft smile. "I'm not mad at you, at least not at anything I won't quickly get over. You just proved to me that you don't get it by what you said. You're afraid of damaging 'us'. You clearly have a misconception of what 'us' really is. You obviously think of 'us' as this fragile thing, a gentle flower that constantly needs to be protected lest it wither and eventually die. You're constantly desperately trying to nourish that flower with things like wild sex. I guess I can forgive that part. But if you had a clue in that pea brain of yours, you'd realize that you're worried about nothing, that 'us' isn't fragile at all. 'Us' is a force of nature. It's been tested for the past year by everything the world could possibly throw at it. 'Us' has come through every one of those tests not even breathing hard. It couldn't possibly be damaged. It's the foundation, the bedrock, the one thing in your life that you can depend on always, always being there. You can count on me, Sarah, on us. I can count on it too. Maybe it's time we started acting like it. I'm sorry that this has taken so long for me to say. Pastor Bob told me that it was time to man up. So that's what I'm going to do."

Sarah suddenly realized that she had never needed to hear anything before in her life like she needed to hear that from Chuck. The emotion was part relief, part shame… well, mostly relief. Before today she would have died before she broke down in front of him. But he was totally and undeniably right. He was her rock. It was time to start acting like it. So she made absolutely no attempt to keep the tears from streaming down her face. She wrapped her arms around Chuck's neck, held on as tightly as she could without hurting him, and openly sobbed.

"So," Chuck continued into the top of Sarah's head. "Here is the truth about 'us'. We're going to continue to disagree on things. We're going to fight, if I know us, pretty vigorously. Over the next sixty years I'm going to spend a few nights on that uncomfortable couch, sometimes by my choice, and sometimes by yours. I'm going to continue to struggle sometimes to understand you and you're going to struggle just as much at other times to understand me. But none of that really matters, does it? We don't have to ever worry about 'us'. 'Us' won't be fazed. 'Us' couldn't care less. And Sarah, here is the very best part. 'Us' is something that will guide the rest of our lives, something we're going to pass on through our kids and they through their kids. 'Us' is going to leave a mark on the world that Chuck or Sarah individually never would. 'Us' is forever."

It was the first time that Chuck had ever seen Sarah Walker cry this openly. In fact he could feel her heaving sobs. And that was actually a very good sign. So he didn't try and force the issue. He just sat there with his arm around her waist, allowed her to cry, and silently figure out for herself what this meant.

Eventually he could feel her sobs ease. "Since when did you get so smart?" she finally asked between softly kissing his neck. "I'm embarrassed. Pastor Bob told you to man up? Doesn't he know that I'm supposed to be in charge here? I didn't see that one coming. That's fairly annoying."

Even though he couldn't see her face, Chuck could hear the smile in her voice. "I am called a genius for a reason," he said facetiously. "Surely you've heard something about that. Everybody says so. He knows that you're in charge. So do I. This is a temporary role for me, only when you need me. I'm sorry that you're embarrassed or annoyed. There is no need to be."

Sarah finally lifted her head to grin at him directly. "I'll get over it," she said with a grin. "Now that you've properly put me in my place are you going to punish me? There isn't a couch to sleep on. But I've been bad. I'm really hoping that my punishment includes being naked sometime soon. Man-Up Chuck has me sort of on fire here."

Chuck reached over and began to unbutton her blouse. "I can see that," he said. "Bad girls usually don't get to pick their punishment. I'll tell you what. For tonight here is what we'll do. You have to let me be the guy in charge… all night. Tomorrow, you can go back to being in charge. But tonight you have to be the girl. I think to symbolically reinforce 'us' as a rock, I have another rock to show you."

That got them both laughing. "Just how much girl do I have to be?" Sarah asked as her grin broadened and she lifted her hips to allow Chuck to ease off her pants. "Help me out here. I don't have much real life experience. Do I have to tell you how big and strong you are? Lie on the bed and moan and tell you how much of a stud you are? Beg you to go harder. _Oh God, Chuck, you big strong man, you rock. Harder… Harder… Please fuck me harder._ Is that what the girl does? Something like that?"

Chuck smiled as he lovingly eased her down on the bed dressed in only her contented grin. "It'd be a nice touch," he said as he began to kiss down her neck. "Maybe try it without the attitude."

Sarah resisted the strong temptation to push on Chuck's head to hurry him up a little. His kissing trip south seemed to stall a bit at her chest. But she quickly decided that he was in charge tonight. Whatever pace he chose would be fine… as long as he got there… soon. Tonight her hands were going to stay by her side. And he was going to be treated to whatever moans he could inspire. There would be no biting her lip tonight. "How about this?" she asked softly, making no effort to keep the tremble of desire from her voice. "I love you. You're my rock, and not just in a sexual sense. I can't imagine my life without you in it. I promise that I'm going to get better at telling you that more often. You deserve it, and so much more. Was that better?"

"That was much better," Chuck admitted as he reached her stomach.

"You're still going to do the 'harder, harder' girl thing though, right?"

x-x-x-x-x

Casey was still sitting there waiting when he noticed a secure message on his laptop.

_**Team,**_

_**Attached is a transcript of Laura and Seth's phone conversation. Confidence remains high. Proceed with current plan. Report status as soon as practical.**_

_**Good Luck,**_

_**General Beckman.**_

When Casey finished reading the message, he finally lit the cigar that he had been nervously playing with. He took a sip of his scotch as a huge grin crept over his face. He didn't really have much time to celebrate. After all, he had to be on the road to Vegas in a couple of hours. He really had enjoyed letting Laura Carter bug his cell phone. As he took a drag on his cigar he laughed out loud.

"Chuck Bartowski may be a whiny, genuine pain in the ass." Casey said to himself. "But he is sure as hell a genius. That worked exactly like he said it would."

As Casey went over the day's events in his mind, he couldn't help but think that he wasn't the only member of team Chuck that was going to get lucky that day. Then he couldn't help but laugh again.

"I sure hope that's the only bug that Laura gave me."

x-x-x-x-x


	15. The Tease

_This is not an original story. It was written during the middle of season 2. The original story assumed a sequel that never happened. So there will be some brand new content in this rewrite and several new chapters at the end._

_Okay, I'm back from vacation. So you can start expecting replies to your reviews again. We had a great time. We had a 3 bedroom suite on the 16th floor of a Myrtle Beach front hotel. The view was amazing. Even better, both of my kids, their spouses, and all 3 of my grandkids were there for the week. So now I'm back to work to rest up a little._

_All of the scenes of this chapter were in the original in some form. But they were spread out in a couple of different chapters. We're getting fairly close to the big twist that wasn't in the original and will have your jaw on the floor. My wonderful beta, Lucky47, (who just strong armed me into doubling her salary) was wondering why I changed the rating… until she read the twist. If anybody says they saw it coming, I'll call you a liar to your face, lol._

_I realized that when I changed the rating, fewer people would read the story. It simply doesn't show up in the default list. I guess I'm surprised by how many fewer. But it can't be helped. There was no way to tell the story I wanted to tell and keep it T. You'll see why soon._

_Anyway, it's probably now more important than ever that the few of you that remain stay vocal. And you've done great. Keep the comments and reviews coming._

_I still don't own Chuck._

_If you enjoyed this or any of the stories on this site, please take a second and send the author a review. It only takes a second – and it really, really makes a difference. That's probably more important than ever now that the series has ended. If you want to keep the Chuck fandom alive and continue to read about these characters, you really need to think about rewarding the people whose hard work make that possible._

**The Tease**

x-x-x-x-x

Sarah rolled over to give her big strong man a kiss. Well, it actually ended up being more like five kisses. Then she snuggled back into her typical comfortable position in the nook between his head and shoulder. "Let's blow off this assignment," she sighed. "I can't deal with talking to that pig tonight. I feel so wonderful."

"Really?" Chuck asked hopefully.

"No, not really," Sarah groaned. "I'm sorry that I teased you. I have to go. But I just want to lay here with you. I could stay like this forever I think."

"Actually," Chuck said with a short laugh. "I'm getting kinda hungry. Why don't we get this over with so we can have a nice dinner?"

"Sweetie," Sarah said with a sigh as she reluctantly got off the bed and went over to the computer. "I'm afraid that it's going to have to be room service."

Thoughts of dinner or being hungry would have to wait for a second. Chuck was too mesmerized watching Sarah sitting there at the computer. "I have to tell you something. I feel like I'm in one of Jeff's dreams," he finally said. "His naked women are always on the other side of the computer screen. But in his dreams…"

"I'm in such a good mood," Sarah said in mock disgust. "Please don't put images in my head of Jeff's dreams."

"Yeah," Chuck agreed in a teasing tone. "It's pretty scary. I wonder how many times he's pictured this scene in that twisted mind. It has to be in the hundreds."

Sarah picked up a pad of paper that was lying on the desk and playfully threw it at him. "You're really asking for it," she said.

After he rather nimbly dodged the paper aimed at his head, Chuck walked over to look over her shoulder. "Can't we go out and have a nice dinner?" he asked. "The risk seems minimal."

Sarah didn't answer his question. She was too involved with Beckman's email. Her eyes lit up as she read the transcript. "Good news, sweetie," she said with a grin.

Chuck was a very fast reader. He had already finished reading the transcript over her shoulder. "How is this good news?" he asked disgustedly. "It sounds like they are planning an evil-fest dinner… with you as the main course."

That got her laughing. "No," she was finally able to get out. "Well, maybe. But this is a get out of jail free card for tonight. Laura will kill him if he touches me. And, trust me, she would do it." Then she paused for a moment deep in thought. "Oh my God, Chuck," she suddenly exclaimed. "Can I tease him? Make him think that I'm ready to pay off? It would be so much fun. But I won't do it if it bothers you at all."

"But what if he just lies to her?" Chuck asked with a wince. "And then tells you to go for it. He doesn't sound that trustworthy to me."

"No, sweetie," Sarah said as she hugged Chuck excitedly. "She would find out. And he knows it. He would never risk that. There is an old saying. The enemy of my enemy is my friend. If he did try, I'll come up with some excuse to get out of it and find some way to let Laura know that he tried to double cross her. Trust me. That would not go well for him."

"It seems mean," Chuck said haltingly. "Cruel even."

Sarah kissed him – hard. "I understand that you might be the sweetest guy in the world," she said. "But don't tell me that you're seriously feeling sorry for Seth Roberts. Of course it's mean. That's the whole point. I can't shoot this bastard, not yet anyway. But I'm going to be able to throw myself at him and he won't be able to do a fucking thing about it except order pay per view porn after I'm gone. It will drive him crazy. It's going to be so much fun. It's a female spy's revenge. But, Chuck, only if you're okay with it. Please don't tell me that you are if you aren't. This isn't that important to make you uncomfortable in any way. It's so not worth that."

"I'd like to propose a deal," Chuck said. "You get to go have your fun. But then we go out to a nice dinner and walk around the strip for the night."

Sarah's eyes sparkled. "We'd have to stay clear of Seth's hotel," she warned. "As long as we're negotiating, would there maybe possibly be some dancing involved?"

"You drive a hard bargain," Chuck said with a grin. "Didn't you get enough dancing last night?"

"You know me," Sarah said with a laugh. "I could go dancing every single night. Maybe I can sweeten the pot a little. Since I won't be paying off to Seth, when we get back I'll pay off to you." Then she quickly back pedaled. "I'm sorry," she said. "I know that negotiating over sex makes you uncomfortable. Can we forget I said that?"

"I'm afraid not," Chuck said with his own grin. "The image is now permanently burned into my brain. Look, that's one of my behaviors that has to change. I've been too uptight. Sex has been your way of saying 'I love you' without using words. I understand that now. I've made you feel bad about it. I'm pretty embarrassed. I'm sorry. You so have a deal."

x-x-x-x-x

"You're not going dressed like that, are you?" Chuck asked as Sarah headed towards the door.

Sarah felt like teasing him a little. Yes, the barely there bright red dress and ever brighter red lipstick was quite a bit over the top. But after all teasing was tonight's theme. "What is wrong with the way I'm dressed?" she asked in mock indignation.

"Don't get me wrong," Chuck quickly backpedaled. "You're absolutely gorgeous. It's just – you look like a… a…"

"A pro," Sarah finished for him with a giggle.

"Yes," Chuck said sheepishly. "I'm sorry I said that. Please don't be mad at me."

"I'm not mad at you," Sarah said with a laugh. "That's what I was going for. This is Vegas. You're supposed to look like a hooker. I don't want to stick out, do I?"

"Trust me," Chuck said with a sigh. "You're not going to be blending in."

"I'm sorry, sweetie," Sarah said with a smile as she grabbed Chuck's hand. "I wasn't going to dress like this but I want to have a little fun with Seth." Then she noticed the look on his face. "Not that kind of fun, silly," she added quickly. "I just want to rub it in a little on Seth, that's all. I want him in physical pain."

"Yeah," said Chuck softly, more under his breath than anything. "I'll bet he's looking forward to some rubbing."

That got Sarah laughing. "Don't worry sweetie," she said. "The only thing he'll be rubbing tonight is himself… after I've gone."

"Careful with the disgusting images," Chuck said as he joined in the laugh. "I still have plenty of Jeff stories in my back pocket. When will you be back?"

"I'm not going to be long," Sarah said. "He'll want me out of there as fast as he can. I'll get back as soon as possible, maybe an hour."

"Can I go down to the casino?" Chuck asked hopefully.

"Sweetie," Sarah said sadly. "Please don't. I'd feel a lot better if you stayed in the room while I'm gone. I'm sorry. I'm not trying to treat you like a baby. But we are on a mission. Fulcrum is known to be in the area. If Casey was here, it'd be different. Will you promise me?"

"Okay," Chuck said with a pout.

"I'm sorry, Chuck," Sarah said as she kissed him goodbye. "I know that I'm being a little over-protective. I'm so proud of the way you're handling this. I promise that I'll make it up to you when I get back. I love you."

"I know," Chuck said softly. "I love you too. Good luck."

x-x-x-x-x

Sarah smiled slyly as she sat in the cab. Normally she would have made the twenty minute walk down the strip to the Monte Carlo. But walking through the casino on her way, she quickly came to the conclusion that Chuck was right. Even in a city famous for scantily clad beautiful ladies, she was standing out. Even for someone who was used to turning heads, the stares were becoming pretty obvious.

When she got to the front desk at the Monte Carlo, she asked for any messages for Sarah Anderson. The clerk apologized and said that there weren't any. Sarah shook her head sadly as she asked the clerk if there were any messages for Sarah Walker.

"Yes, Miss Walker," the clerk said with a smile as he handed her an envelope containing a room number and a key.

Sarah could only laugh in frustration. "Seth is the worst spy I've ever heard of," she said to herself as she rode up in the elevator.

x-x-x-x-x

"Okay, Walker," Sarah said to herself in the hallway outside of Seth's room as she tried to keep from laughing. "Now it's your turn. Time for some payback."

As Sarah knocked on the door she put on her most dazzling smile. As soon as Seth opened the door she stepped into the room. "Have you completed your assignment?" she asked in anticipation.

Seth's eyes were so bugged out from checking her out that it almost looked like a cartoon. "Here," he finally choked out as he handed Sarah a packet. "This is the information on your Fulcrum meeting tomorrow that you asked me to set up. The meeting is at ten. I'll talk to you tomorrow afterwards."

"What name did you use?" Sarah asked pointedly. "You left the message downstairs for Sarah Walker. You can't use that name. Are you trying to get me killed?"

The red in Seth's face was pretty noticeable. "I'm sorry," he said. "I told him that your name was Sarah Anderson like you asked. I wasn't thinking when I left the note at the desk."

That immediately changed Sarah's mood. "You did it," she said with an excited tone as she took the envelope from him. "You know what this means. We have a deal. You are now owed ten very good times. I can't wait to show you how much I've improved. Do you want it standing here? Or do you want to go over and sit on the bed like we used to?"

"I'm sorry, Sarah," Seth said with a grumble as he reluctantly turned his head away from her. "But I can't do this right now. I have a meeting."

Sarah looked at Seth. The tent in his pants told her that her revenge was going well. It was time to nail the coffin shut. "But, baby," she said. "I'm here. I'm all ready for you. I've been waiting for this all day."

"Sorry," Seth sighed. "Like I said, I have a meeting."

"How long will your meeting last?" Sarah said seductively as she sat on the bed. "Maybe I can just wait for you here in bed. Would you like that?"

"I don't think so," Seth said with a sigh. "I don't know how long I'm going to be. I may not even be back tonight."

"Please, baby," Sarah said pleadingly. "Surely you have time for a quickie. I remember what you used to like. I bet you still like it."

"Sorry, Sarah," Seth said with a groan as he tried to look away. "I'm late already."

"But Seth," Sarah cried. "What am I supposed to do tonight? I've been thinking about being with you in bed all day. You can't leave me like this."

If Seth was saying words at this point, Sarah couldn't make them out. It only sounded like a low groan.

"But Seth," Sarah cried as he grabbed her arm and practically dragged her to the door. "Please, I need you."

As soon as Seth closed the door Sarah walked to the elevator. Somehow she managed to keep a straight face until she was safely inside. But as soon as the elevator doors closed she lost control. She was laughing so hard that she had to lean against the walls of the elevator to keep from falling. As she wiped the tears from her eyes, she whispered to herself.

"I think that's the most fun I've ever had."

x-x-x-x-x

It was one of the best nights in Chuck's life. Although he had been to Vegas many times before, this was the first time that he could actually afford it. Since they were staying at Caesar's Palace and were both starving, they decided to eat at the Japanese Steakhouse. Sarah was in one the best moods that Chuck had ever seen her in as they played with the cook while he prepared their meal. Chuck kept her in stitches as he pretended to let the waitress teach him to use chopsticks.

After the meal was finally over, they leisurely walked down the strip. Even though Chuck hadn't asked her to change, she knew that he wasn't comfortable with her looking so much like a hooker. So she changed into slacks and a casual blouse. But even dressed more conservatively, Sarah Walker was still turning heads. Naturally, she was used to that. Even Chuck was becoming somewhat immune to the other men's stares. But it seemed worse tonight. Maybe in Vegas men felt more empowered to gawk at the ass of a beautiful woman. And she was obviously the most beautiful woman around, in a city known for beautiful woman. Judging from the heads turning, everybody else thought so as well. And it was clear that she was making a point. Every time they would walk somewhere she would immediately grab his hand. Her kisses were short pecks. She clearly was being respectful. But they were also frequent enough to send the clear message that she was lovesick. It felt so great to walk down the strip swinging their arms like teenagers.

Chuck could tell that she looked a little wistful when they passed the Forum shops. "Sarah," he said softly. "It's okay if you want to shop for a while. Maybe it wasn't part of our deal. But I really don't mind."

"Thanks, sweetie," Sarah said with a sigh. "That's really nice of you. But if we walk into those shops, we're probably going to spend the rest of the night in there… and a lot of money. I'm having too much fun being here with you. This is your night."

They quickly developed something of a routine. They would walk into a hotel, check out whatever attraction there was, find an interesting slot machine to play for a few minutes and have a drink. Then they would move on arm in arm to the next hotel and repeat the pattern. They did all the tourist things. They rode in the Gondola at the Venetian. Supposedly it was tradition to kiss under the bridge. Of course they were kissing for pretty much the entire ride, but that included under the bridge. They went to the top of the Eiffel Tower at the Paris and kissed there. They watched the Volcano erupt at the Mirage and, well, you do the math. By the time they watched the Fountains at Bellagio, they were both pretty relaxed. The intensity of the kissing had steadily increased to the point where it was clearly now into making out territory. So Chuck proposed they go into the club and dance for a while.

Chuck was pretty sure that Sarah would want to dance the night away. After all that was her thing. But they hadn't been there only about an hour when Sarah pulled Chuck off the floor. Apparently there was something tonight that she wanted to do more than dancing. "I've had the best time tonight," she said softly as she rested her head against Chuck's chest. "Thank you, and not just for tonight, not just for supporting me with Seth, for being my rock, the guy I can count on."

"You don't have to thank me," replied Chuck with a goofy smile. "I'm having the best time too."

"You said earlier that sex was my way of telling you that I love you," Sarah said as her smile turned mischievous. "That was exactly right. Thank you for understanding. So I'm about to tell you how much I love you in a way that you're not likely to forget. There is still a key component to our deal waiting for us up in our room. If you think that I'm letting you off the hook on that one, think again. A deal is a deal."

Chuck's smile turned into a grin.

"Like you think I want off the hook on that one?"

x-x-x-x-x

As Chuck was trying to open the door to their room, Sarah was purposely trying to distract him. She was kissing his neck and reminding him of their deal… in somewhat vivid detail. If her objective was to arouse him, and it probably was, it was working perfectly. So much so that when he finally fumbled with the key enough and got the door opened, he grabbed her and kissed her hard, not that she was trying to resist in any way. Still locked in their kiss they stumbled into the dark room. Suddenly Chuck could feel Sarah tense as if something was amiss.

"Don't try it, Walker," said a voice from inside the dark room followed by the unmistakable sound of a handgun being racked. "Even you aren't that fast."

When the light came on they were looking at Laura Carter. Her Glock was pointed directly at Sarah. Sarah could feel the tenseness in Chuck's body as he obviously flashed on her.

"Nobody has to get hurt here," Laura said. "Let's all stay calm and move slowly. Put your hands on your head."

Both Chuck and Sarah quickly complied.

Laura turned to Chuck. "Take the gun out of her waist and slowly put it on the table," she ordered calmly.

Chuck very slowly reached around Sarah's back and took out the gun from the spot where she always kept it. Sarah kept her hands on her head. Chuck carefully set the gun on the table.

"Okay," Laura said as she indicated the bed. "Have a seat." As soon as they had complied and Laura was confident they posed no further threat, she smiled. "Well, Sarah," she said in a mocking voice. "Do I get to fuck this one too? One thing has changed. You sure as hell have a lot more boyfriends now, don't you?"

"We need to talk."

x-x-x-x-x


	16. The Deal

_This is not an original story. It was written during the middle of season 2. The original story assumed a sequel that never happened. So there will be some brand new content in this rewrite and several new chapters at the end._

_This chapter is one of the few that was in the original and is more or less intact._

_I realized that when I changed the rating, fewer people would read the story. It simply doesn't show up in the default list. I guess I'm surprised by how many fewer. But it can't be helped. There was no way to tell the story I wanted to tell and keep it T. You'll see why soon._

_Anyway, it's probably now more important than ever that the few of you that remain stay vocal. And you've done great. Keep the comments and reviews coming._

_I still don't own Chuck._

_If you enjoyed this or any of the stories on this site, please take a second and send the author a review. It only takes a second – and it really, really makes a difference. That's probably more important than ever now that the series has ended. If you want to keep the Chuck fandom alive and continue to read about these characters, you really need to think about rewarding the people whose hard work make that possible._

**The Deal**

x-x-x-x-x

Laura Carter wasn't Sarah's favorite person anyway. But the gun pointed at her, and especially at Chuck, made the look she was currently flashing in Laura's direction one of pure hatred. As they sat on the bed her hand instinctively found Chuck's. She quickly squeezed it in a show of reassurance.

"Okay, Laura," Sarah said harshly. "You're holding the gun. What do you want to talk about?"

Suddenly Laura's face softened noticeably. "I'm honestly sorry about the gun," she said softly. "I'm not here as an enemy. I just didn't want you to shoot first and ask questions later. I need a chance to talk to you."

"From where I'm standing," Sarah said with no hint of humor. "The gun pointing at us tells me you are an enemy."

"Fair enough," Laura said. "You're right. From where you're standing there is no other conclusion you could come to." She took her gun by the barrel, extended her arm and handed it to Sarah. "Is that better?"

Sarah's sigh of relief was very plain as she stood and retrieved her own gun from the table where Chuck had placed it then sat back down next to him. "Much," she said. "So, Laura, how did you know that I was here?"

"I followed you back from your visit with Seth," Laura said with the beginnings of a smile. "You're slipping. You were really easy to track. All I had to do was follow the tongues hanging out of the guys mouths. That red dress really looks good on you. Do you remember when I talked you into buying it?"

Sarah did remember, very well actually. It was a fun afternoon. She and Laura used to go shopping a lot. It was one of their favorite things. But she also wasn't ready to sit there and pretend to have a fun time talking about old times. So she ignored the question. "Okay, Laura, why are you here?" she asked.

"I need your help," Laura said sadly.

"You need my help?" Sarah asked incredulously. "The last time I saw you, your legs were wrapped around my husband. You were groaning for him to fuck you harder so loudly that you didn't even notice I was standing there for a long time. That doesn't put you at the top of my 'people who I want to help' list."

Laura paused for a long moment. "I know," she finally said with a sigh. "And for what it's worth, I feel horrible about that. I do. I'm not making any excuses. It wasn't a smart thing. But I tried to warn you about Seth. You would never listen. I know that I'm not your favorite person right now. I wouldn't even be here for me. I'm worried about Seth."

"Why are you worried about Seth?" Sarah asked cautiously.

Laura allowed her shoulders to slump helplessly. "Come on, Sarah," she sighed. "Be honest with me. You're not really interested in getting back together with Seth. Why are you really here?"

If Laura was fishing, she sure wasn't going to get any bites. "I don't know what you mean," Sarah said calmly.

Laura really didn't expect that to work. It was worth a try. "Okay, Sarah," she said after taking a deep breath. "Fair enough, I'll go first. You're going to arrest Seth or worse for being with Fulcrum, aren't you?"

Sarah was no longer sure if Laura was fishing or not. But it didn't make sense to volunteer anything. "Is Seth with Fulcrum?" she asked casually.

Laura knew that tears wouldn't help in this situation. In fact they would just make Sarah believe she was playing her. So she blinked them away. "Please, Sarah," she said. "I understand that me being involved in this is outside of protocol. It's even inappropriate. But I'm asking for a favor. I need to find some way to save him."

Sarah was still not convinced that she wasn't playing some angle. "Laura," she said skeptically. "I want you to look me in the eye. Are you with Fulcrum?"

To her credit, Laura looked directly into Sarah's eyes. "Of course not," she said firmly. "Look, I knew that Seth was talking to them and I looked the other way. That would be pointless to try and deny. I should have reported it… and I didn't. Okay, that was stupid. I'll have to accept whatever punishment I get for that. But I've never had anything to do with Fulcrum. I never would. I've purposefully not asked any questions. I hate those ruthless bastards. I'm as loyal to the country as anyone. That's when I realized that something wasn't right. Sarah, there is no way you would ever defect to Fulcrum. That's when I knew."

Sarah looked at Chuck expectantly. Recognizing the question she was asking, Chuck leaned over and whispered in Sarah's ear.

"She's telling the truth."

x-x-x-x-x

Peter West sat behind his desk deep in thought. It was quite late for him to be in the office but he had problems of his own. That was the problem with being the head of the Las Vegas Fulcrum Division. Normally it was a very plum assignment. But the big shots loved to schedule meetings there as an excuse to party. And every time a big shot came into town, they expected to get laid. And this time, it wasn't just one big shot. It was six. All of the Fulcrum Elders were going to be meeting to talk about global strategy. And they expected a party.

Peter's phone began to ring. He let it ring a few times before he remembered that his secretary had gone home for the night.

"West," he answered briskly.

"Yes, sir," Seth said. "This is Roberts. I'm sorry to call so late sir. I just wanted to confirm that Sarah Anderson will be coming to meet with you tomorrow at ten."

"Refresh my memory," Peter said softly. "Is this the girl whose picture you showed me the other day?"

"Yes, sir," Seth said. "She's pretty, isn't she?"

"She's stunning." Peter said with a smile. "And am I to understand that she is eager to prove herself?"

Seth thought about how much to tell him. After all Sarah sounded pretty desperate. If he told this guy that, it would make her pretty defenseless negotiating with him. And beautiful defenseless woman ended up naked on their backs with their legs in the air. But it would also earn him some much needed points with his boss. "Yes, sir," he finally said. "The honest truth is that she's pretty desperate. Her career with the CIA is in the toilet. She's currently babysitting a diplomat's kid. I honestly think you could ask her to do almost anything. To get out of her current situation, she'd smile and do it. She even wanted me to tell you that she is willing to do anything to make a good first impression. It might be fun to call her on that."

"Excellent," said Peter as he ended the call. "I'll talk to you tomorrow after our meeting. Nice work."

Peter smiled as he leaned back in his chair. _This might work out well, after all._ One of Fulcrum's weaknesses was in the seduction area. Women agents didn't seem nearly as eager to defect as men. This Sarah Anderson must not be too much of an agent. She was far too pretty for that. And babysitting a diplomat's kid? She seriously must be dumb as a box of rocks. But she could fill a couple of needs. She could be an asset ongoing. Certainly she could fuck an Elder or two no matter how stupid she is. That would be a big help. And last but not by any stretch least, he could have a wild night testing her resolve. _Yup, that might work out_.

_And if it doesn't, I can always find work as a pimp._

x-x-x-x-x

Laura looked at the couple sitting on the bed across from her holding hands. There was clearly more there between those two than just the current guy Sarah was fucking. Maybe she should try and find out. "Aren't you going to introduce me to your friend?" Laura said softly. Without waiting for a response, Laura turned the smile she reserved for flirting with unknown men towards Chuck and stuck out her hand. "Laura Carter," she said cheerily.

If Laura expected the smile to have its usual effect, she was disappointed. "I know who you are," Chuck said coldly as he barely touched her hand.

"This is Chuck," Sarah said quickly. "I think that will do for right now anyway."

"Well, Chuck," Laura said softly. "Something tells me that you've heard the story of Sarah, Seth, and me."

"I have," Chuck said firmly as his eyes narrowed. "And I have to say, Laura, that it disgusts me. Men cheat on their wives, it's scummy, but it happens. But to betray your best friend like that… I really can't think of much worse."

"I know, Chuck," Laura said sadly as the smile quickly faded. "Actually, I agree with you. It was the scummiest thing I have ever done. I'm ashamed of myself."

Chuck's response was quick. "So why did you do it?" he demanded, making no effort to keep the anger from his voice as he put his arm around Sarah's waist. "This is the nicest, most amazing, most loyal person in the whole world. She is the last person that should be betrayed like that. I would do anything to keep her from being hurt. From where I'm sitting that makes you pretty much a piece of shit as a person. And I'll be damned if I'm going to sit here and not tell you what a scumbag that I think you are."

Laura was stunned for a moment. People, men especially, never talked to her that way. So she turned to Sarah. "Wow," she said as a sad smile crept onto her face. "You might have found a keeper, huh?"

Chuck's response got a silly grin from Sarah in spite of the tense situation. She just couldn't help it. There was no sense in trying to deny it even if she wanted to. Laura had already figured it out just by looking at them. Besides, Sarah was honestly eager to brag about what she'd found to everybody, even Laura Carter. "I have," she said as she gently put her head on Chuck's shoulder and put her arm around him. "I'm very lucky."

Laura studied the look on Sarah's face. She had missed her best friend desperately many times over the past five years, but never more than right now. There was something totally different about her. She looked actually happy, content. Laura ached to share whatever was new in her life to account for that dramatic of a change, to hear about this new guy she was clearly lovesick over. But she also knew that there was only one person to blame for that ache. "I'm glad," she finally said sadly. "For what it's worth, I'm glad."

Laura took a moment to gather her emotions before she turned back to Chuck. She may have been looking at Chuck, but she was most definitely speaking to Sarah. "You're absolutely right," she said. "She is very special. I lost the best friend I've ever had that day. I can't tell you how much that I've missed her. I would give almost anything to be able to go back and handle that differently. This is not an excuse, but most spies wouldn't have minded what happened. At the time I didn't think of it as betraying her. It might even have turned into an opportunity to laugh and compare some notes. But I should have realized that Sarah isn't most spies. I allowed my own desires to talk myself into thinking she would be okay. I wasn't a very good friend that day."

The last thing that Sarah wanted at this point was to get emotional. Sure, she missed Laura, truth be told, probably more than Laura missed her. And she sounded genuinely sorry. But this wasn't the time or place for a tearful reunion… if that was ever even going to be possible. "So," Sarah said with a sigh. "Let's get down to brass tacks. Why should I help Seth Roberts?"

Laura was trying her best to keep this as light as possible. "I guess being married to him isn't going to mean much in this discussion," she said hopefully but with a resigned smile.

No sale. "Absolutely nothing," Sarah said firmly. "We're not married. I've just been too lazy to file the paperwork. He is a traitor. He deserves whatever happens."

Laura took a deep breath. "Seth isn't a traitor, Sarah," she said softly. "Come on, you know that. You know Seth. He's just lazy and stupid. He's not ideological at all. He saw a chance to be a bigger player and he took it."

Sarah wasn't giving an inch. "That was pretty stupid," she said skeptically.

"Granted," Laura said. "Yes, it was stupid. That much is obvious. He didn't think it through. But, Sarah, it wasn't evil. I know what it looks like but he's not."

"I don't know," Sarah said softly.

"Sarah, please," Laura said. "I know that we're not friends right now. I even understand that you probably hate me. But please help me. I'm desperate. I'll do anything."

"Tell me why," Sarah said curiously. "Why are you risking so much to help him?"

"I love him," Laura answered quickly as she tried mightily to blink back the tears. "I just realized that a couple of days ago. I know how stupid that sounds to you but I do. I love him. I can't help it. I can't stand by and watch him get killed. You probably don't understand that."

Sarah squeezed Chuck's hand as hard she could without risking doing any damage and looked at her ex-friend. "Actually," she said with a sigh. "You're wrong."

"That's the one thing that I understand totally."

x-x-x-x-x

General Beckman openly yawned as she tried to rub the sleep out of her eyes. "Agent Walker," she said as her picture appeared on the laptop. "Do you realize that it is three in the morning? This had better be good."

"I'm very sorry to wake you, ma'am," Sarah said briskly. "But we have a situation. First, I want to make sure that you're aware that this connection is not secure."

"Why not?" Beckman asked.

"I have Laura Carter here with us, ma'am," Sarah said. "She has approached me about possibly helping Seth Roberts defect away from Fulcrum."

If Beckman was at all surprised, she didn't show it. "Agent Carter?" she said briskly. "I thought you were supposed to be in Miami."

"Yes, ma'am," Laura responded. "My mark will be out of the country for two weeks."

"Tell me why I should believe a single word that you say?" Beckman asked harshly. "I should have Agent Walker slap the cuffs on you and lock you up faster than I can salute. How can you prove to me that you're not Fulcrum?"

"Yes, ma'am," Laura began. "I understand that you're angry. I'll not deny that I've withheld reporting some very important facts for personal reasons. That was unacceptable. I have no excuse. Whatever punishment comes my way, up to and including wearing Agent Walker's cuffs, I have no complaint. How can I prove that I'm not Fulcrum? I don't know how to prove a negative." Laura took a deep breath. Getting angry wouldn't help this situation. But questioning her loyalty was a hot button thing for her, most agents really. She had dedicated her life to serving the greater good, had been asked to do ridiculously dangerous and disgusting things. "Ma'am," she continued. "All I can say is that I'm a lot of things but traitor is not one of them. You can question my judgment. I've made some decisions that are downright stupid. But you can't question my loyalty. I swear that I'm as loyal as Agent Walker here. I just need your help to save the man that I love."

"Ma'am," Sarah said softly. "The information we have on site seems to indicate that Agent Carter is indeed loyal."

Now Beckman was surprised. The information on site? That had to mean the Intersect. She hadn't expected Walker to stand up for Laura Carter. Chuck? Maybe, but not Walker. That actually made a difference. It basically changed her mind. "Okay," she said, much more to Sarah than anyone, her voice turning softer as her eyes widened. "This love stuff is getting to be a regular pain in the ass, isn't it?" Then she directed her attention back to the current situation. "Agent Carter, what is it that you want me to do?"

Before Laura could answer, there was a knock at the door. Chuck went to the door and looked through the peep hole. When he saw that it was Casey, Chuck let him in.

Casey immediately saw Laura standing there and Beckman on the screen. He really didn't know what was going on, but it clearly was serious. "I'm sorry that I'm late, ma'am," he said firmly. "I got here as fast as I could."

"Agent Carter," Beckman said cautiously. "Forget my question. I don't really care. This is what I'm willing to do. Agent Casey will take you and Agent Roberts into custody. You will be housed in the local FBI office. If Agent Walker needs any assistance from either of you during her mission tomorrow, you will immediately provide it. If I'm satisfied that you have cooperated and Agent Walker's mission is successful, then I'll remove the sanction against Agent Roberts. At that time we'll discuss terms of his release. But his career as an agent is over. Is that acceptable to you?"

"Yes, ma'am," Laura said with a relieved smile. "Thank you, ma'am."

As soon as the screen went blank, Sarah cleared her throat. "Laura," she said softly as she looked at the floor. "There is something that you need to hear. You saw how I was dressed when I went to see Seth."

Laura nodded with a sad smile. "The expensive hooker look," she said. "I picked out the dress, remember?"

"Well," Sarah continued. "When I was there this afternoon, I threw everything that I had at him and he didn't budge."

"Thanks, Sarah," Laura said with a smile. "That means a lot to me."

"No problem," Sarah whispered.

Laura was fairly giddy. She turned to where Casey was standing. "Agent Casey," she said with a sheepish grin. "Something tells me that I've been played. You've never been with Sarah, not once, have you?"

"I'm afraid not," Casey said with his own grin and a wink towards Chuck. "I'm sure I would remember."

"So our little encounter this afternoon was all for show," Laura said as she burst out into a laugh.

"Well," said Casey thoughtfully with a grin. "You can blame Chuck here. It was his idea. For what it's worth, I've never enjoyed an assignment more."

"Damn it," Laura snapped in mock disgust. "I knew that you weren't her type." Then she turned back to Casey. "Actually the honest truth is that I enjoyed it too, maybe not 'best fuck ever' territory but certainly in the top five. Hopefully we'll get a chance to try it again sometime soon. Perhaps we can find a way to improve."

Casey stopped the smart ass remark from Chuck with a look. This Laura Carter was the entire package, the most amazing woman he had ever met. And now that she wasn't a Fulcrum traitor, trying to crack the top three might be a little fun.

"I'm always looking for ways to improve."

x-x-x-x-x

"Okay," Casey said as he and Laura rode up the elevator. "This is how this is going to work. Out of professional courtesy I'll stay in the hall out of sight while you go in and talk Roberts into surrendering. I'll give you five minutes. Let me in and I'll take him into custody. Just so we understand each other, he's caused my team a fair amount of grief in the past few days. Any funny business and I will gladly shoot him."

"I understand," Laura sighed. "There won't be any trouble. I promise." As soon as she turned and knocked on the door, Seth opened it.

"Baby," Laura cried as she pushed into the room and threw her arms around Seth. "I've missed you so much." That part was actually genuine. She had missed him horribly. She immediately pressed her mouth to Seth's and they shared a very passionate kiss.

"Wow, baby," Seth said as soon as the kiss broke. "That was quite a hello."

"Seth," Laura said sadly. "Come over and sit down. I need to talk to you."

"Can't we talk later?" Seth said as he began to unbutton Laura's blouse.

"I'm afraid not," Laura said firmly as she pushed Seth away. "I have some bad news. I just talked to Sarah Walker. You were wrong about her. She was playing you. She was not looking to get back together. She was looking to make herself a widow."

"A widow?" Seth asked in confusion. "How would she do that?"

Laura shook her head sadly. "How does one make herself a widow?" she asked sarcastically. "By putting a bullet between her husband's eyes, dumb ass. They know that you are Fulcrum. They are going to execute you."

"They know," Seth said in a panic. "I didn't think anyone would even care. I mean, who cares about me? I'm nobody. What am I going to do? I'll have to run."

"Relax," Laura said. "I've got it all worked out. I talked to General Beckman."

"Beckman," Seth said. "Head of the NSA, Beckman? She's a hard ass."

"She's a very hard ass," Laura said. "It was a tough sell but I got her to agree. If we help Sarah bust your Fulcrum boss, they are going to let you go."

"Really," Seth said. "Why would she do that?"

"I talked Sarah into speaking for you," Laura said softly. "She has a lot of pull with Beckman. Her partner is in the hall right now waiting for us to go downtown."

"But why," Seth said softly. "Why are you and Sarah doing this for me?"

"Sarah is doing it because I begged her," Laura said with a smile. "Maybe there is some hope for us yet."

"I'm doing it because I love you."

x-x-x-x-x

As soon as Laura and Casey left, Sarah launched herself into Chuck, basically pinning him to the bed, and started kissing him tenderly. Well, it started off tenderly. Pretty soon their tongues were dancing pretty good. "I'm so very proud of you," Sarah said as soon as she came up for air.

"Why?" Chuck asked in surprise.

Sarah fought against the tears filling her eyes. "I know that I don't have to be ashamed of crying in front of you," she said. "But I don't want to start bawling in front of you twice in the same day. You're going to think I'm a sissy."

"Well," Chuck said in faux seriousness. "You are supposed to be acting all girly today."

That broke the emotion in the room and they both started laughing.

"You stuck up for me with Laura," Sarah said. "I've had some partners who had my back physically before but you're the first person who has ever had my back emotionally. Thank you. I can't possibly describe to you how life changing that feels."

"You're so welcome," Chuck said as he kissed Sarah again. "Are you actually surprised in any way? I meant every word. I have never met a person who deserves to be hurt less than you do."

"Thanks," Sarah said with her eyes shinning. "I love you."

"I love you too," Chuck said softly. "And I'm proud of you too."

Sarah's eyes told him to continue.

"It's just so easy to hate," Chuck said softly. "I'm proud of you that could overlook the horrible way that you were treated and still do the right thing."

"It is the right thing," Sarah asked. "Isn't it?"

"Yes," Chuck said as he kissed Sarah again this time more urgently. "Yes, it is." Then he gave her his classic grin. "Not to be indelicate," he said playfully. "But we did come up here for a reason. Something about a payoff?"

"I see," Sarah said with her own grin. She got up from the bed and began to unbutton her blouse as she swayed to some imaginary music. "Yes, sir, I believe you are now owed ten very, very good times."

As soon as Sarah was down to her panties, she stepped over to where Chuck was sitting on the bed and unbuckled his belt. "I don't believe pants are in order," she said as she slowly peeled them off. "Do you?"

"I don't know," Chuck said with a grin. "I'm not used to being in charge. What would you suggest?"

"No pants," Sarah said, clearly teasing him as she tossed them unceremoniously into the corner. "You think that you were my rock earlier."

"You ain't seen nothing yet."

x-x-x-x-x


	17. Opportunity Knocks

_This is not an original story. It was written during the middle of season 2. The original story assumed a sequel that never happened. So there will be some brand new content in this rewrite and several new chapters at the end._

_Since most of the story from this point on will be new content, I'm going to have to go back to posting once a week. So there won't be a post on Thursday._

_I still don't own Chuck._

_If you enjoyed this or any of the stories on this site, please take a second and send the author a review. It only takes a second – and it really, really makes a difference. That's probably more important than ever now that the series has ended. If you want to keep the Chuck fandom alive and continue to read about these characters, you really need to think about rewarding the people whose hard work make that possible._

**Opportunity Knocks**

x-x-x-x-x

Sarah sat across the desk from Peter West fighting to keep the soft smile on her face while not laughing. Today's assignment was simple, talk to this Fulcrum scumbag, see if he volunteered any useful information, talk him into meeting her someplace in private later tonight, and put a bullet between his fucking eyes, the very eyes that were currently boring into her blouse like he was trying to suddenly develop x-ray vision. Even Chuck was on board with this mission.

Peter West sat behind his desk staring intently at Sarah making absolutely no effort to be subtle about checking her out. He clearly didn't think that he had to be subtle. Seth must have really sold her down the river with this jerk. He quite obviously was liking what he saw. But what was not to like? Sarah had made a special effort to look extra nice. Her dark blue skirt had the maximum slit that she had of any in her wardrobe. And the sheer light blue blouse set it off perfectly.

Chuck was honestly a little less enthusiastic about the mission after seeing her outfit. It was hard to fault him for that. She wasn't really trying to hide anything from him. But having said that, she did wait until after she left the room to unbutton that extra button on her blouse. Now it was to the point where it was screaming 'look down me' to every man that got a glimpse of her. That, most definitely, included her taxi driver on the ride over. Peter was certainly no exception. Sarah made sure that she leaned forward to give him the best possible view.

"Agent Anderson," West said once he was able to tear his gaze away from Sarah's mostly exposed chest. "One thing is for sure. You are quite stunning. How long have you known Seth Roberts?"

Sarah fought the urge to laugh. _No kidding, dude. That's why you're drooling?_ "Thank you, sir," she said with a shy smile. "That is very nice of you. I've known Seth for about five years."

"Tell me, Sarah," Peter said thoughtfully. "Why would you be interested in joining Fulcrum?"

"Well, sir," Sarah said. "Would you like the short answer or the long one?"

"Why don't you give me the long one," Peter said. "I have some time and I like watching you talk."

Again Sarah fought the urge to laugh. He thought he was being smooth. Just one more button undone and he would really like to watch her talk. He had clearly been told that she was desperate… and not all that bright. So dumb blonde was a good tactic to play. "Yes, sir," she said with a blushing smile. "Well, if you would have told me that I would be sitting here two years ago, I would have said that you were crazy. When I joined the agency, I was young and naive. I was ready to save the world. I believed that becoming an agent was the best way for me to serve mankind. So I worked my – well let's just say that I worked really hard to be the best."

Peter nodded to let Sarah know that he was listening.

"But I have since found out that the agency that I loved is corrupt," Sarah continued with a schoolgirl pout. "I found out that being the best didn't really matter to them. All that mattered was how enthusiastically you were willing to fuc… I mean date the men at the right level."

Peter's smile told her everything she needed to know. "It's okay, Sarah," he said, using a tone much like one would use to comfort a child. "I hardly think that they wanted to date you. If we're going to proceed you need to be frank with me."

He clearly wanted to hear her talk dirty. Well, she could do that. "I found out what they really wanted too late," Sarah said sadly. "By the time I figured out that they really wanted me to fuck my way to a plum assignment, they had already written me off. So now I find myself babysitting a rich foreign national's kid. And I have been for the past year."

"That's sad." Peter said.

"Yes, sir," said Sarah with a sigh. "It is. All of that work, all of training, for nothing. So I guess that I'm looking for some revenge."

"Revenge," West questioned.

"Yes, sir," Sarah said firmly. "I want them to know the talent that they wasted. I want them to regret it. I'd really appreciate it if you would give me that chance for some revenge. Seth probably told you that I'm desperate. There's no sense in me trying to deny it. If you'll help me, I promise that I won't make the same mistake with you."

"Mistake?" West questioned.

"The one about being willing to fuck my way to a plum assignment, sir," Sarah said with a smile as she played with her hair. "I just want to make sure that you know that I'll do anything to prove my loyalty to you."

"Sarah," West said with a grin. "You sound resolved."

This fish was hooked. It was time to reel him in… then gut him and cut him up for bait. "Yes, sir," Sarah said as she placed an innocent pout on her face. "That's a good way to put it. I am resolved. I'm on a quest. I have something to prove."

West was now so intently staring at her chest that Sarah was beginning to worry that she had miscalculated and he'd want something right here in the office. If that happened, she'd have to do some pretty quick dancing. She wasn't breaking her promise to Chuck. Maybe an upset stomach would work. After all, it wasn't untrue. Just looking at the leer in his eyes made her throw up in her mouth a little.

Fortunately, West wanted the whole package on his terms. "I do believe that I am willing to test that resolve," he finally said with a smug grin. "I'll leave a note for you at the front desk of the Monte Carlo with my room number. Meet me there at nine tonight. Be prepared to be tested vigorously. If you pass my test, we are having a rather important event here in the Vegas area in two days. Call it a party, but it's also very serious. We could use some undercover security. Some incredibly important people will be attending. It would be a perfect opportunity for a new recruit such as yourself to make a good impression with some very key people to the organization. What do you think about that?"

Now Sarah's interest was piqued. A party with important people? That might be worth playing with this fish for a bit longer. "It sounds great, sir," she said with a beaming smile. "Should I come prepared to spend the night tonight? I'm looking so forward to this party. You can count on me to make quite an impression."

"Not so fast, Sarah," Peter said with a leer as he fought a losing battle to keep his composure. "You haven't passed my test yet. I promise that you will find it… challenging."

Oh well. It looked like he wasn't going to give up any useful intel on the party. It was time to end this. When Sarah ever so innocently kicked her lips and her red lipstick glistened in the light, Peter knew that his personal battle was lost. "Thank you, sir," she said with a shy smile as a blush crept up her face. "But I have no doubt that I'll pass. I do hope the test isn't written. I'm not so good at those."

"I'm much better at oral."

x-x-x-x-x

Chuck was sitting at the desk in their room mindlessly playing solitary on the laptop when his cell phone rang. Not knowing what her status was, he answered plainly.

"Hello,"

"Hi, sweetie," Sarah said.

"How did it go?" Chuck said with a laugh. "He didn't want a quickie on his desk, did he?"

There wasn't a really good way to answer that… except maybe tease him about it. "Maybe," Sarah replied with a laugh of her own. "His eyes were bugged out pretty good. But don't worry. I promised you that nothing like that would happen. Sweetie, I'm sorry, but I don't have time to talk about that now. I need you to go get Casey and meet me at the FBI office. Beckman wants to talk about things. Please get here as soon as you can. You know how impatient she is."

Somebody had obviously notified Casey because he was ready to go the instant that Chuck knocked on his door.

In the cab, Chuck decided that the silence was getting a little too awkward so he decided to engage in his favorite sport… needling Casey. "So, Casey," he said with a wry grin. "That Laura Carter chick is pretty hot. Care to debrief me on how you um… debriefed her yesterday?"

"I do not," Casey said sharply. "Just like I don't want to hear about you and Walker and your all too frequent exploits between the sheets.

"But there's a big difference," Chuck insisted as his grin broadened at the realization that his sport was going well. "Sarah and I actually haven't been making it between the sheets all that often. Her new favorite spot is the kitchen table. Besides, we're personal. What you did with Laura was part of a mission. I'm an agent now. I think that you need to share all mission details with your partner. Don't you agree?"

"Maybe you're right, Bartowski," Casey said with a hint of sarcasm. "I'll make sure that you get a copy of the report. And while I'm at it, I think I'll make sure that you get a transcript of Walker's mission in Italy when she infiltrated a terrorist group trying to acquire nuclear weapons. The way I hear the story, she got really friendly with the leader of the group. The bug she was wearing probably picked up every sound. The transcripts for those kinds of intimate encounters on a mission are usually sealed. But I think I can call in a favor and get a copy. There may even be an audio file someplace. I wonder if her moans sound different in Italian. It might be a fun exercise for you to compare. Sound fair?"

Chuck already knew generally what happened inItaly. Sarah's face was pretty red when she told him the basic story… and he wasn't eager to hear any further details. "On second thought," he said softly as the smile faded from his face. "That information is fairly need to know. I guess I don't need to know."

"Good answer," Casey said with a laugh. "Very good answer."

x-x-x-x-x

As soon as Chuck and Casey walked into the conference room they noticed General Beckman on the monitor. Sarah was sitting talking to her. When Sarah saw Chuck her face lit up into a smile. Chuck returned the gesture.

"Come in gentlemen," Beckman said when she noticed them enter the room. "Please take your seats quickly. We have a lot of information to cover and some decisions to make."

Chuck quickly took the seat next to Sarah and Casey walked to the other side of the table. Sarah immediately took Chuck's hand under the table and gave it a quick squeeze. As soon as they were seated Beckman placed a picture on the monitor. Immediately, Chuck flashed.

"This is Peter West," Beckman said. "He is the man who Agent Walker met with this morning."

"He is Fulcrum, ma'am," Chuck said. "He is the head of the Las Vegas office."

"Very good, Chuck," Beckman said. "Agent Walker, would you please brief Chuck and Casey on your mission?"

"Yes, ma'am," Sarah said firmly. "As soon as I had gained West's confidence, he told me of a party that some very important people will be attending in two days. He invited me to attend and act as undercover security."

"Clearly there might be some valuable intel there," Beckman said. "Who knows what important people West is referring to. It might be clients. It might be internal Fulcrum people. What is it worth to infiltrate this party?"

"Where is the party being held?" Casey asked.

"That's the problem," Sarah said sadly. "I'm not sure yet. West wants me to meet him tonight at a hotel room for a test. If I pass, he'll invite me to the party."

"What?" asked Chuck with a grimace. "Like a vision test? A hearing test? Maybe a math test?"

"Sorry," Sarah said softly while looking at the table as she squeezed Chuck's hand. "It's more like a loyalty test. I talk to you about it later. Don't worry. It's not happening."

"I think that we need some help on this one," Beckman said firmly. "We need more intel. So I've asked Agent Roberts to set up a meeting between Agent Carter and Peter West. He seems to have a proclivity towards attractive agents."

"Who doesn't?" Chuck said with a smile.

"Are we sure that we can trust her, ma'am?" Casey asked softly while ignoring Chuck. "If they get tipped off, Agent Walker is in big trouble tonight."

"That's very true," Beckman said wistfully. "I and Agent Walker had a long talk with her. Agent Walker has convinced me that she is loyal. It is a risk that I feel we have to take."

"You know, Sarah," Casey said in almost a whisper. "She has betrayed you before. You're putting a lot of faith in her."

"Not really," Sarah said. "She is anxious to help Seth. She is going to be eager to help us as much as possible to use it as a bargaining chip later."

"Agent Carter is meeting with West right now," Beckman said calmly. "Hopefully, she'll get invited to the party as well. We'll get together later and discuss Agent Carter's meeting. Then we'll discuss how to proceed."

Just then Laura poked her head into the room. "Excuse me, ma'am," she said. "I'm back from my meeting with Peter West."

"Come in, Agent Carter," Beckman said quickly. "This is excellent timing. Give us your report on your meeting. How did it go?"

"Yes, ma'am," Laura said as she sat down at the table. "It was short and sweet. I believe that I convinced West that I am willing to defect to Fulcrum. He was very interested. He said something about a sandwich, and I don't think he was talking about lunch. He told me that he would have an exciting opportunity in two days as long as I could pass his test."

"You too," Casey said laughing. "What is this guy, a machine?"

"No, Casey," Laura said sadly with a big sigh. "My test is a little different than Sarah's. He wants me to kill Seth."

Beckman sat silently trying to comprehend the news that Laura had just delivered. Finally she broke her silence. "Agent Carter," she said. "Why would West want you to kill Agent Roberts? He is one of their agents, correct? Do they suspect him of being disloyal?"

"Well, ma'am," Laura started softly. "Anything that I would say is a guess. He frankly spent most of the time gawking at my chest. But my opinion is that they are just trying to give us some things that they know we don't want to do to prove our loyalty. He said after Sarah passed her test, he would give me the details of how he wanted me to execute mine."

"And they would sacrifice one of their agents?" Beckman asked skeptically.

"I think that it shows that they don't think too highly of Seth," Laura said sadly. "I guess they consider him expendable."

At that, the room fell silent for a long moment. Finally Casey cleared his throat. "It sort of makes sense, ma'am," he said thoughtfully. "If they could get two agents of the quality of Walker and Carter that they had confidence in, it would be worth the sacrifice. Especially given that they don't think very highly of him anyway. I also think that means that West is planning on putting Sarah through the wringer tonight. He's not just after straight sex. He is going to press the limits of what she is willing to do to prove herself."

At that overt of a description, Sarah looked at Chuck anxiously. He gave her hand a quick squeeze of encouragement which brought a slight smile to her lips.

"I'm afraid that I agree," Beckman said with a deep sigh. "It's not worth it. Does anybody have any other ideas?"

"Well, ma'am," Chuck said. "Sarah is an expert at interrogation, right? We're going to execute him tonight anyway. Why not give her a chance to talk to him in a controlled environment?"

"Too risky," Beckman said. "Who knows what he would tell her while being tortured. It could all be bullshit. It could lead us into a trap. It's not worth that for such an unknown benefit. Let's proceed with our original plan and call it a day. At least we'll have one less Fulcrum middle manager to deal with. That's a victory. Agent Walker, meet with West as scheduled, then terminate him. Agent Carter, be available to back Agent Walker up tonight in case things change."

"Yes, ma'am," Laura and Sarah said together.

"Let's take a ten minute break," Beckman said. "After that, I would like to meet with Agents Casey and Walker to go over some highly classified sensitive Intel. Chuck, I hope that you won't feel offended. Normally, you would be included in this discussion. But I think that it would be best for now if Agent Carter accompanied you back to the hotel. Agent Walker will join you in an hour or so."

"Yes, ma'am," Chuck said without emotion.

x-x-x-x-x

As soon as Beckman called the break, Sarah pulled Chuck into a small interrogation room and quickly closed the door. "I'm sorry, Chuck," she said angrily as she grabbed both of his hands. "I don't know why Beckman doesn't want you at the next session. But I sure am going to find out."

"Don't worry," Chuck replied with a soft laugh. "I actually am looking forward to talking to Laura for a few minutes."

That was a surprise, especially given the way he spoke to her last night. "Really?" she asked. "Why?"

"Lots of reasons," Chuck said as his eyes sparkled. "But most of all I want to know about you. I'll bet that she's the one person in the world who knows what makes you tick."

"Well actually," Sarah said softly. "You're the one person in the world who knows what makes me tick. I know that I don't have to say this. And I'm sorry if this sounds possessive or jealous, but I'm nervous about her being alone with you. She thinks that the best way to get to know someone is by fucking them."

"You're right," Chuck said with a grin. "You don't have to say it. You seriously can't be worried about me and Laura. For one thing, she was just with Casey yesterday. That single fact alone disqualifies her in my book. Hurry back. I want to spend some time with you this afternoon. I want to make sure you know how much you're loved."

"That's sweet," Sarah said as she kissed Chuck gently. "But I think I already know."

"No," Chuck protested as he shook his head. "You know how much I loved you yesterday. I love you even more today. As soon as you get back, I want to explain the difference."

"Okay," Sarah said with a laugh. "Aren't you the smooth one today? Am I going to have any clothes on while you're doing this explaining?"

"That's up to you," Chuck replied with his own laugh. "But, speaking of that, do you think you could do me one small favor?"

"What's that?" Sarah asked.

"I'm sorry if this sounds possessive," Chuck said softly. "But do you think you could button one more button on your blouse?"

x-x-x-x-x

As soon as Casey and Sarah were back in the conference room, Beckman started the meeting.

"Begging your pardon, ma'am," Sarah said firmly. "But what do you want to talk about that couldn't include Chuck? I thought that we agreed that we were going to treat him as an equal."

"Relax, Sarah," Beckman said softly. "I don't really want to talk about anything."

"I'm confused, ma'am," Sarah said softly.

"I just wanted to get Chuck and Agent Carter alone for a while," Beckman said with a smile. "I want Chuck's opinion on how much we can trust her. Why don't you two give them about an hour before you return to the hotel?"

That got an obvious sigh of relief. "Thank you, ma'am," Sarah said. "But as long as we have a minute, Chuck was just telling me some thoughts that he had."

"Okay, Sarah," Beckman replied. "Talk to me."

"I think he's figured out how we can kill Seth."

x-x-x-x-x

Chuck and Laura were pretty much silent during the twenty minute cab ride back to the hotel. When Chuck opened the door to the room, Laura walked in and went directly to the refrigerator. "I need a drink," she said with a sigh. "I'm taking a wine out of the mini bar. I hope you don't mind."

"Thirty six dollars for a glass of white wine," Chuck replied with a smile. "I don't mind. The government is paying for this. Just don't let Casey find out."

"Why?" Laura asked softly. "Why would Casey care?"

"Wasting the taxpayer's money pisses him off," Chuck said with a grin. "Well actually, a lot of things piss him off."

"I don't know," Laura said with a smile. "He was very nice to me. Very, very, very nice in fact, if you get my meaning. Do you want anything?"

"I assume you mean from the mini bar," Chuck said as his grin broadened. "But even if you didn't, no thank you."

"I guess I had that one coming," Laura said with a sad smile as she sat on the chair. "You don't trust me at all, do you?"

"I'm sorry," Chuck said as he sat on the bed as far away from Laura as he possibly could. "It's just that I can't imagine anyone who would betray Sarah the way that you did. She is the most special person in the world."

Laura smiled at him. Oh, she smiled at most men. But this was different. It was a genuine smile. "You really love her," she said. "Don't you?"

"More than I could possibly explain," Chuck said in return. "I can't even bear to think about how she must have hurt walking in and finding you and Seth."

"You don't think like an agent," Laura said sadly. "That's why I'm glad that Sarah found you. Okay, Chuck, if I try and explain this to you, will you give me a chance and have an open mind?"

"I'm listening."

"Agents just feel differently about sex," Laura began softly. "That's how we're trained. We're taught to treat sex as a weapon. Just like we're taught to fight and shoot, we're taught to flirt and fuck. If you were modest about sex or showing your body when you started in the CIA Academy, you sure as hell aren't when you graduate. It's simply a fact of that life."

"I know that," Chuck interrupted dismissively. "I'm not totally naïve. Sarah knows that as well as anyone. She's used sex on missions. What you did was different. It was personal."

"But that's what I'm trying to say," Laura said insistently. "Most agents don't distinguish between mission sex and personal sex. Put yourself in an agent's shoes for a second. Think about it. If you're on a mission to get close to some slime ball terrorist's organization and that means you're going to be required to fuck said slime ball terrorist twice a night for six months, why be uptight about having a good time fucking the hot guy you just met in the bar celebrating the successful end to that mission? It doesn't make sense. The only way to get through those missions is to become pretty casual about it all. So that is why I didn't see it as betraying her at the time. I honestly thought she would be okay. Maybe I shouldn't have. Maybe I wasn't looking out enough for my friend that day. Maybe I allowed my own lust to rationalize it. But Seth was the last person on earth Sarah should have married if she was looking for a faithful husband. And Sarah has suffered with that part of the job exactly because she wasn't willing to be casual about it. That means she has to feel guilty about fucking that slime ball terrorist where most spies don't. It's not healthy, Chuck. She is the only spy I know that feels that way."

"But I read a transcript," Chuck protested firmly. "Where you threatened to make Seth no longer a man if he touched Sarah. Tell me you weren't jealous. That sounds pretty hypocritical to me."

Laura held up her hands in a show of surrender. "I was totally jealous," she said with a sad smile. "I still am. Guilty as charged. But in my defense that is a very recent development. A month ago, I wouldn't have cared at all. Seth and I would have made it a game to see how far we could push her. If you read that transcript you know that I had agreed to join them. Even today, I don't care if Seth fucks someone else. That's a good thing because it is most definitely going to happen. I've helped him pick up some hot chick in a bar more times than I can count. I could probably be talked into it tonight if he wasn't locked up. He is not going to be any more faithful to me than he was to Sarah. That's what he is. And I have no intention of being faithful to him either. In fact if Casey is willing tonight…"

Chuck needed to change the subject. "So, what's changed?"

"I fell in love," Laura said softly. "I can't explain it any better than that. I'm even a little embarrassed about it. I mean, I fully understand Seth's shortcomings. I do. I still want to kick his ass about once every ten minutes. But I love him. That just changes your perspective. That's why I understand for the first time how Sarah really felt that day. And it makes me want to cry. I'm so sorry. I love her, Chuck. Can you help me?"

"What do you want me to do?"

"Talk to her for me?" Laura asked hopefully. "She'll listen to you. Look, I'm not trying to pretend that we don't have issues to overcome. I'll do the work. I just want a chance to win my best friend back. I've missed her. I want to hear her tell me all about you, why she's clearly so lovesick."

Chuck studied her sitting there for a long minute. He knew that CIA Agents were trained in how to get men to do things for them. And he knew that she had him pegged as a nice guy and an easy mark. But he was actually a better judge of character than anybody gave him credit for. "I'll talk to her," he finally said. "No promises after that." Then he folded his arms over his chest defiantly. "Fuck her over again," he said softly but firmly. "Hurt her in any way and you've just made a serious lifelong enemy."

Well, this Chuck Bartowski sure talked to her like no man ever had before. The honest truth was that it was pretty impressive. "Thanks," Laura said. "That's all I ask. I love her just as much as you do. You might not believe that now."

"But you will."

x-x-x-x-x

Sarah was just entering their hotel with Casey when she got a text from Chuck.

"What's up?" Casey asked.

"I'm not sure," Sarah answered. "Chuck says that he is in Laura's room. He wants me to come there. I'll see you later."

Sarah wasn't aware that Laura even had a room. She spent last night locked up with Seth in the FBI offices. But Chuck's text directed her five floors down from where they were staying. So she took the elevator to the floor and looked for the room.

Suddenly a hand was over her mouth and she found herself being dragged into an open room. Whoever this hand belonged to was a professional. Agent Walker wasn't easy to get the drop on, even surprised and not expecting trouble. But he had her bent over backwards in a pretty helpless position. His other hand had her arm that was reaching for her gun pined behind her back.

Finally Sarah was able to spin out of his grasp. In a single fluid motion she had one of her knifes in her hand and was ready for battle. "Damn it, Bryce," she spat out, her eyes flashing with anger once she recognized him. "What in the hell was that about? Are you trying to get killed?"

Bryce made no attempt at apology. "I need to talk to you," he said urgently. "I only have five minutes and we can't be seen together."

Sarah was still visibly angry, but she had probably calmed down enough to listen. "Okay, Bryce," she said. "What's up?"

"The party you're invited to," Bryce said. "It's a party for the Fulcrum Elders. All six are going to be there."

"How do you know that?" Sarah asked skeptically.

"Do you really want me to summarize a year of deep undercover work in five minutes?" Bryce asked sarcastically. "Trust me, I know. This is our big chance. They are in the same place once a year, at their annual strategic planning session. The party is to celebrate that. We can end Fulcrum in one single attack, end them forever, Sarah. Do you know what that means?"

Certainly Sarah knew what that meant. The question was almost insulting. It was what she dreamed about every night. It was almost too good to be true. It meant the war would be over. Chuck would be free, free to start a family, live a normal life, buy that house with the red door she always dreamed about and live happily ever after with their kids. "Where is the party?" she asked eagerly.

"I don't know," Bryce said. "That's the problem."

"That's what we need you to find out."

x-x-x-x-x


	18. Sarah's Sacrifice

_This is not an original story. It was written during the middle of season 2. The original story assumed a sequel that never happened. So there will be some brand new content in this rewrite and several new chapters at the end._

_There is a fairly explicit sex scene in this chapter. Probably more explicit than anything I've done before. But I promise that it's not gratuitous. There is a point. And you'll have to read to the very end to get it._

_I realized that when I changed the rating, fewer people would read the story. It simply doesn't show up in the default list. I guess I'm surprised by how many fewer. But it can't be helped. There was no way to tell the story I wanted to tell and keep it T. You'll see why soon, very, very soon._

_Anyway, it's probably now more important than ever that the few of you that remain stay vocal. And you've done great. Keep the comments and reviews coming._

_I still don't own Chuck._

_If you enjoyed this or any of the stories on this site, please take a second and send the author a review. It only takes a second – and it really, really makes a difference. That's probably more important than ever now that the series has ended. If you want to keep the Chuck fandom alive and continue to read about these characters, you really need to think about rewarding the people whose hard work make that possible._

**Sarah's Sacrifice**

x-x-x-x-x

It was an incredibly frustrated Sarah Walker who was stomping around in the hall outside that hotel room internally debating what to do. There was no question but that if she knocked on that door she would be committed. It would be crossing a Rubicon. After that, there would be no backing out. But what to do? On the one hand, she loved Chuck so much that it hurt, absolutely hated fighting with him. On the other he was being completely unreasonable to the point where she could no longer be in the same room with him. He had to realize that sex and love were totally separate things. Didn't he realize the importance of Bryce's news? Could he really not get the concept through that thick skull of his that whatever sex they were talking about on this assignment meant nothing to her? It was nothing like the love making with him that had become so completely addictive to her in only a couple of short weeks, not even in the same realm. It would be like all of the other times she'd been placed in this situation in her career, an unpleasant task that she would forget about ten minutes after it was over. Then to top it off, right in the middle of by far the biggest fight of their relationship, just as they were screaming at each other, the moron actually tries to talk to her about making up with Laura. What was he thinking? Un-fucking-believable.

After all, Chuck knew her better than anybody, not even close. He knew full well how much his safety meant to her. Fulcrum was the main threat in his life. He knew as well as anyone that if they captured him, when they finally allowed him to die it would be doing him a favor. She had always been his bodyguard, had been since the day they met. And more important, now they were going to share that life together. His life was now hers just as much. And she was the professional spy, the very best there was. Didn't that give her, if not final authority, at least the tie breaking vote on spy matters? Even Chuck had to admit that Bryce was right. They had an excellent chance to cripple these bastards so that they would never recover, to eliminate them as a threat. He had to know how desperately she was looking out for him, how anxious she would be to jump at that chance.

Okay, yes. There was a basic fact here that simply had to be admitted and dealt with. If she did this her way, the way she had argued for, it meant her fucking Peter West tonight. It absolutely did. There was no way to spin that, no sense in trying to deny or tiptoe around it. It actually almost assuredly meant fucking him more than once. And that was probably the tamest way you could describe it. This guy would be looking for far more than just plain sex a couple of times. He had made it clear that he was testing her obedience. He would have no intention of making this easy for her, would most assuredly make this a scene right out of a porn movie, make her put on a wild performance for him including every kinky sex act one could imagine. He would break out the toys, make her perform for him, and find more and more degrading things to push her to the very edge of what she would be willing to do, to find her very limit and then demand that she smile sweetly while going over that limit for his sick amusement. In fact it was submission that he wanted far more than sex. Nobody could claim that would be fun. That's why she packed the negligees. Maybe she could preempt some of that by offering to put on a sexy fashion show… without the toys.

The problem is that, thanks partly to Casey's big mouth, Chuck knew all of this just as well. And for some reason that simply escaped her, the thought was driving him crazy. Sarah maybe didn't totally understand what was going on inside of that brain, but she understood that much… perfectly well. He didn't have to say it. His eyes told her. It was heartbreaking to see the pain in those big brown eyes. And yes, to his credit, he did finally break down and tell her that this was her professional decision, that he desperately loved her, was always, always going to be her rock, and he would love her just as much no matter what she decided. There was no question but that he was telling her the truth. He was the one thing in life that she could count on. That actually helped a lot. But couldn't he just go that one small extra step and support her? Even if he had to force himself, even if it was just pretend, couldn't he tell her that he understood? Tell her not to worry about him? He knew damn well that she didn't want to disappoint him. Bryce would have done that for her. Hell, Bryce wouldn't have had to say anything. He would be teasing her about it, trying to figure out some way for her to secretly tape the session so he could watch it later. He would have tried hard to pressure her to describe for him exactly what happened, and wasn't above using pouting trying to get a general reenactment for his own entertainment.

But then there was that damn guilt that kept slamming into her head like waves against a pier on a stormy day. She knew she shouldn't ever compare Chuck with Bryce in her mind. That so wasn't fair. They were at totally different levels. A big part of the reason she loved Chuck so desperately was because he wasn't anything like Bryce. Chuck was her soul mate, her bedrock. She was going to spend the rest of her life standing by his side, would do anything to not hurt him. Nothing was going to change that. It wasn't in question. But how was the best way to not hurt him? That was in question. Hell that was the question.

Her way would let him hurt for a single night. Okay, so in fairness that was probably a little too tame. Yes, his imagination would keep him awake all night as he tortured himself picturing horrible worse case scenarios in his mind and convincing himself that they were happening. In his mind, the smile on her face that he would imagine would convince him that she was enjoying this somehow. He had already proven that he didn't get it when he talked about that stupid, meaningless Lon Kirk assignment.

He would definitely suffer, have an absolutely horrible night. And yes, that was bad, very bad. Of course it was. But then it would be over and she would spend a couple of intense days getting him over it. She was absolutely sure she could effectively do that. After all, he honestly loved her just as much as she loved him. He was her rock. If anything, he loved her too much. That was never in doubt. It was honestly hard for Sarah to stand there and think of that as a problem. She could literally feel the tingle running through her at the very thought in spite of this ridiculous situation. It might even become a little fun to see how wild she could get in her quest to make this up to him. Then it would be over… an unpleasant memory quickly fading as they moved on with the rest of their lives together, free from the Fulcrum threat.

His way might put off that hurt for a while, a single night maybe, then let him hurt for the rest of his life hiding from Fulcrum. Was he really thinking this through? Watching as good people died in his defense? Knowing that he could have stopped them and didn't? Sarah may have had a bias, but people constantly underestimated her Chuck. He was so much more than just a nice guy. He was a thoughtful, perceptive, sensitive, fragile soul. His biggest weakness was also his most powerful strength. He honestly cared about people, even ones he barely knew. Wouldn't seeing someone like Casey die for him, knowing that he could have prevented it, hurt him far, far worse? And wasn't that always a strong possibility that now had escalated into more like a calculated probability? With the current situation it was really only a matter of time, had already almost happened a dozen times.

Come on, Chuck. Look at this without the emotion for a second. Really, in the grand scheme of things, was one night, no matter how demented, really all that bad? The payoff was huge. And forget about just Chuck for a second. She was a CIA Agent, had taken an oath, for God's sake had dedicated her entire adult life to this very fight. Sex was simply a weapon she had been trained to use. Naturally she had other weapons, but none of them would be effective in this situation. Sex would allow them to infiltrate that party, with its mother lode of elders, without being discovered. That was key.

There was simply an undeniable fact. Right now as she was standing there, some other agent was somewhere in a conference room at Langley getting her next assignment. She would be ordered to spend years of undercover work trying to get in the position that had just been thrown into Sarah's lap as a gift from heaven.

That assignment would lead her to seduce, perhaps even become the trophy bride to the most evil vile man. It would require that she lie in bed every single night and let out fake moans as she pretended to enjoy the pounding between her legs that she was getting, having no way to protest whatever fantasy request her evil 'husband' could dream up. Smile sweetly while he passed her around to his friends. The assignment could and often did last for years. Statistically about a fifth of the time she would make some subtle mistake, or perhaps be discovered through no fault of her own, and spend her last horrible day being tortured to death, her nude and mutilated body left unceremoniously at some public place in an undignified position as a warning. Yet any of her fellow agents would have gladly accepted that assignment just for the chance to get close to a single Fulcrum Elder… much less all of them. All that was being asked of Sarah was one single night.

Finding out the location of that party, where all the Fulcrum Elders would be in one spot, could save hundreds if not thousands of lives. It would free her and Chuck to live the lives that they had always talked about. To maybe start that family they were currently afraid to even talk about yet, free from the risk of Fulcrum finding their children someday and using that against them.

That naturally got Sarah to thinking about her and Chuck's kids. It was honestly a thought that lately was never far from the surface anyway. She already knew what they would look like. They would look like him. They might be tough like her, maybe have some of her temper. But they would be cute, totally adorable, and smart like their dad. Hell, she sure had spent enough time daydreaming about it. And it suddenly became crystal clear to her. That actually made this decision pretty easy. There was now no question what she was going to do. There was really simply only one option. This was bigger than her. It was about her future with Chuck, about their kids.

So her decision made, Sarah stepped up and knocked on the door. It opened so quickly that she barely had time to put the soft smile on her face.

"Hi," Sarah said. She swallowed hard, pausing for time, trying to find the right words. Knowing that this was the right thing didn't mean it was easy. This was actually a lot harder than she anticipated. But it was something that simply had to be done… for the future, for the kids, but mostly for Chuck.

"I'm ready to give you what you want."

x-x-x-x-x

Peter West could hardly believe his good fortune. He certainly didn't have much problem finding ladies on his own. And Las Vegas was full of beautiful women looking for their big break. And with his connections, he could always promise to make a phone call on behalf of one of these up and coming showgirl wannabes. That was usually enough so that they were very grateful. Sometimes so grateful that they were willing to give him his own very private performance.

But tonight was on an entirely different level. For one thing, none of the wannabes came close to the beauty of this CIA Agent he had just met a few short hours ago. She was absolutely breathtaking. But that wasn't even the best part. It was her idea. She was his tonight, completely and totally. She freely admitted it. She had just told him that she was ready to give him anything he wanted. She would do anything he could imagine in order to pass his test. And Peter had a rather vivid imagination. Almost as good, this would help him professionally. If she delivered as promised tonight, an Elder was going to be very, very pleased with him. And that was the path to power in this organization.

So when the knock came at the door, he didn't have to invite her in. He simply held the door open and moved out of the way.

She quickly got the hint and silently walked into the room. "I brought a few of my negligees," she said as she held up the small overnight bag she was carrying. "Would you like to see them? Maybe chose one? Or maybe you'd like to see me in several? Something of a mini fashion show?"

West knew that it was important to establish control right away. Her job wasn't to seduce him. It was to obey him, more than that to submit to him. "Sir?" he corrected her. "This is an official assignment."

"Yes, sir," she softly replied. "Of course. I'm sorry, sir. Would you like to see them?"

West ignored her question for a moment. He walked over to the sofa and sat down. "Maybe later," he said as he took a sip of his drink and sat it back on the end table. "I understand that you want to join Fulcrum. Is that still true?"

"Very much, sir," she said.

"The CIA demands total loyalty," West said. "But Fulcrum is even more fanatical. We can't afford to be compromised. But most agents find Fulcrum to be very liberating. You can do the things that made most want to become agents in the first place, get all of the personal perks, take the things that you want without having to follow society's rules, yet also have the protection of a feared organization behind you, without all of the mind numbing restrictions and regulations that often make the CIA so frustrating. You can have that. Tonight is an amazing opportunity for you. You have all of the skills to quickly rise up our ranks. You are both deadly and beautiful, exactly what we're looking for. Someday that might be enough. It usually takes months to rise up our ranks. But tonight I'm going way out on a limb for you. I'm going to give you an opportunity to impress a powerful, powerful person and put yourself on the fast track. That means you're going to have to prove to me you're willing to be completely obedient. Do we understand each other?"

She smiled a little. _This guy was a little full of himself, huh? A powerful, powerful person? He was a fairly minor player, middle management at best._ If there wasn't such a game changing opportunity within her grasp, she'd take great pleasure into slapping the cuffs on this dude... but not before thoroughly enjoying herself as she kicked his ass around the room a bit followed by some particularly painful termination. "Of course, sir," she said. "I completely agree with you. This is something that I want very, very badly. I appreciate what you're doing for me, for giving me this opportunity. I won't let you down. I came here tonight to prove that to you. I'll enthusiastically do anything you ask." Then she paused for a moment for effect and put the embarrassed look on her face. "I have an admission to make. I'm actually looking forward to you calling the shots tonight. I'm a little embarrassed admitting that. I understand that this is an assignment. But I've been thinking about it all night. Having someone else in control is sort of a fantasy of mine." Men like this ate that crap up.

"Good," West replied smugly. "You're a very beautiful woman. Why don't we start this process by seeing how sexy you can be getting out of those clothes? Be creative. Give me a show. Turn me on."

She knew exactly what he wanted. You really didn't need to be a graduate of seduction school to figure that one out. Sex was only a part of it… and not even the biggest part. It's what this kind of sick puppy would always want when he had total control over you… he was excited by knowing that he had your complete submission. But she had known all of that before she knocked on the door, right? The best way to minimize this night would be to control the agenda, to anticipate what he would ask for and freely offer it just before he asked.

One thing was for sure. The negligees turned out to be a waste of time. They were going to stay packed in the bag. It had been a long shot. But it was now clear that she would soon be naked and stay that way for the rest of the evening. That much was a given. He clearly had anticipated this and had the room on the cool side for the obvious effect it would have. She also knew what would happen as soon as she was naked. Again, you really didn't need much training to figure that out. But knowing that really didn't make it any easier to put that soft sexy smile on her face. "Yes, sir," she said as she began to slowly unbutton her blouse. As soon as her blouse and skirt were on the floor, she assumed a model's pose and stood there for a long moment before he nodded for her to continue. Luckily, she had worn nylons with garters. That was basically CIA standard issue anyway. She remembered her days at the Academy, where if they ever caught you wearing pantyhose, you were about to have a bad day.

He said sexy. Agents trained for years on techniques to figure out what that meant. After all, it meant different things to different men… and even the same men in different circumstances. Oftentimes it meant bold and slutty. But in this case, she figured that it meant faux sweet and innocent, at first anyway. Give him the illusion that she was embarrassed, that he was deflowering the girl next door somehow… and then after a while turn bold and slutty. And even though she wasn't anything close to sweet and innocent, she could sure as hell convincingly act the part when the time came. So she put the embarrassed look back on her face and stared at the floor as she unsnapped her garters. In her experience, slowly rolling her stockings down those long legs was the sexiest thing she could possibly do. It always drove them wild.

The bra and panties were a matching set, particularly designed for this type of occasion. They were skin colored and pretty much see through anyway. So taking any amount of time removing them probably wouldn't add much to his excitement level. But there was one thing they always wanted to see. "You said that you wanted me to turn you on," she breathed seductively with that bashful smile. With one hand she reached up, lifted her bra out of place, and closed her eyes as she sensuously caressed her breast, then took a finger and slowly drew circles around her nipple. She placed her other hand flat on her stomach and slowly moved it down until it was well inside of her panties. She put the aroused look on her face and bit her lower lip suggestively to complete the picture as she stood there putting on that erotic show for him while he watched breathlessly. "You don't mind if I start with myself do you?"

He didn't respond. But then again, he clearly didn't mind.

After a long moment she stepped out of her panties that had 'accidentally' worked their way down her legs and to her ankles from the rigors of her efforts anyway. As soon as her bra joined the rest of her clothes on the floor, she again assumed the model's pose waiting for her next instructions.

"Very nice," West said. "I have to tell you something. Some beautiful women actually look better with their clothes on. Not you. You should always be naked. Why don't you come over here and show me how good of a kisser you are?"

_Wow. A compliment? I guess anyway._ _That was pretty unexpected_. "Thank you, sir," she said softly as she sat on his lap. "I've been told that I'm a very good kisser."

But again, he said to show him. So she put her hands around his head and softly placed her lips to his. The kiss may have started off slowly but it quickly picked up steam until their tongues were dancing for a long, long time. She really couldn't tell how long, but it must have been several minutes. He was clearly testing her as he began to explore her body while they kissed. His free hand started off at her left breast for a while, playfully rolling her nipple, hard from the cool room, between his thumb and forefinger. Then he shifted to her right breast and gave it pretty much the same attention. Of course she realized that he was expecting her to turn to give him the proper angle so she did it without prompting. When his hand finally moved down her stomach and between her legs, again she had to obediently shift and move her knees apart to give him easier access. All the while they were still kissing. She wasn't sure what he wanted so she just gyrated her hips in rhythm with the movements of his fingers. The soft moan was clearly a nice touch. It got a smile from him. One thing she could surely tell from her perch on his lap. He was getting damn excited.

Finally West broke the long necking session. "Very nice," he said. "Now Agent Roberts tells me something about a skill you possess involving a garden hose and a tennis ball. Is he accurate?"

For the first time since entering the room her smile was actually genuine. How predictable was this guy anyway? A 'get the night started with a bang' blowjob was always the first thing they wanted. "Yes, sir," she said. "I actually don't like to brag but it's very true. It's my very best talent. It took hours upon hours of practice to perfect. Would you like a demonstration?"

Talk about a dumb question. There were times when Peter West didn't like his job very much. But this sure as hell wasn't one of those times. Whatever hours of practice time she had put in were definitely a good investment. Whoever taught this skill at the CIA Academy deserved a raise. She was magical as she quickly slid to the floor and got to work slowly, clearly designed to make this the best experience for him possible including making it last as long as she could, but also steadily driving him to the inevitable explosion. But she still had a bit of work to do yet to get to the finish line.

For a long time Peter West just sat there relaxed and enjoyed her total submission. The room was completely silent except for her soft sucking sounds. He found himself enthralled with the image of her head slowly but steadily bobbing up and down, only pausing her long slow strokes to lift her head for a moment, smile sweetly at him, and say what a good time she was having. It was perhaps the most erotic sight of his life. He knew that he was quickly going to lose his ability to speak intelligently… and this was important. So he picked up his phone. "We're all set," he said. "Of course. I'll see you in a few minutes."

"We're going to have some company," he said as soon as the call ended. "You don't mind, do you?"

Naturally, the question was rhetorical. She had no way to mind. This was not that uncommon in these situations. But it also wasn't a good thing. When there were two of them things could quickly get rough. So it was important that she not appear rattled. She lifted her head just long enough to smile at him sweetly and answer his question. "No, sir," she said. "Of course not. The more the merrier."

"It's nothing like that," West said as he pressed her head down in a clear sign that he was getting close and she should quickly resume her efforts. "In fact, I'll be leaving you in a while. Don't worry. I'm leaving you in very good hands. You're very lucky. You're getting a chance tonight to impress someone at very highest level in the organization. I trust that you will be very appreciative. That never happens so soon."

Well that was good news, in a way anyway. She was being passed off to another guy, probably to perform the same set of tasks for him. But how many others were standing in line waiting for their blowjob? This could be a long night. At least there would be only one at a time."

After a couple of minutes it was plain by his moaning that she had him very, very close. It became even plainer when he placed his hands on top of her head and firmly guided her movements. That was always the main tip off in this situation that you should get ready to receive your 'reward' for a job well done. He clearly was trying to hold out for a while but she sure didn't want to have to finish this in front of whatever company was coming if she could help it. So she got serious. And when she got serious her steady strokes proved to be no match against his resolve to make it last and a huge climax started to rack him.

After a long moment, West removed his hands where his fingers were tangled in her hair. Taking that as a sign that this first round was successfully concluded, she got up from her knees and sat next to him on the couch.

"Very nice," West said. "Your practice time certainly paid off."

"Thank you, sir," she said with the sweetest smile she could come up with. "I'm glad that you enjoyed it."

When the knock came at the door, West nodded to her. "This is your assignment for the rest of the night," he said. "Go answer the door. Be very, very respectful. This person is pleasant but that can quickly turn on a dime. There is no tolerance for anything but total deference. Follow every instruction cheerfully. Remember, tonight is an amazing opportunity for you. Do a good job and it can jump start your career."

She inwardly groaned as she went to answer the door. There was some good news there. Only one man for the rest of the night. Sounded like a real hard ass control freak. Maybe this was the important, important person he was talking about. If this was a Fulcrum Elder maybe she should make an effort to be really nice to him. That might be something they could use later. But making her answer the door to greet her new 'assignment' naked? Why not also tie a bow around her fucking waist? That would set the mood quite nicely. This guy would probably take West's place on the couch within seconds. In ten minutes she would probably be earning her second 'reward' tonight.

But to her surprise, when she opened the door, it wasn't a man standing there at all. She was older, a few years anyway, not at all unattractive, but also a little past her prime. But her dress and makeup were impeccable. And that necklace was amazing. It must have cost a gazillion dollars. Definitely high class all the way.

"This is our new recruit?" the woman asked as she confidently brushed past her and stepped into the room. "My God, she's simply breathtaking."

Training aside, it was hard to keep the blush out of her face as this woman she had never seen before grinned confidently as she so overtly checked out her naked form from head to toe, something akin to how a cat would look at a mouse she had cornered. She actually had to fight against the temptation to try and cover herself with her hands. But that would be stupid. And what could she really do? There was only one way out of this except for the one she planned on. And that would mean failure. And CIA Agents simply didn't accept failure. She had come this far. All of the very valid reasons to do this were still there. Duty… country… but most important for the person that she honestly loved. This might represent a new experience or two, but there was really nothing to do except play the hand she was dealt. So she just took a single step closer towards her, put the stupid relaxed smile back on her face and faced her new 'assignment' calmly again with the submissive model's pose.

"Yes, ma'am," West said. He was already dressed and clearly headed for the door. "Don't worry. She is very talented and very eager to prove herself. She is a phenomenal kisser. I'm sure that you're going to have a very good time."

"I'm sure we are too," the woman said as she reached out her hand to caress her side for a moment then moved up and cupped her bare breast playfully. "Aren't we dear? Are these real? They're simply marvelous." She turned back to West. "I thought that you said she was blonde?"

"We had a last minute problem," West said. "Our original recruit unfortunately came down ill. Food poisoning I believe. So we had to make a switch. Fortunately we had such a lovely substitute available to step in."

"Miss Bowles, I'd like you to meet Laura."

x-x-x-x-x

_A/N: Okay. Deep breaths. I'm sure that you'll want to reread this to figure out what in the hell just happened and where Sarah really was in the first part of this chapter, what her sacrifice was, and who's door she knocked on._

_There are a few problems with the original that hopefully have been fixed. Peter West would have never told some rookie recruit that the Elders were going to be at a party. So I had Bryce do that. Chuck would have never cheerfully given Sarah permission to go off and spend the night being the sexual plaything of another man. The most he would do is tell her that he loved her… and that wasn't going to change._

_I know that some of you are going to judge Sarah's thoughts in the beginning of this chapter harshly. All I can say is that I can understand her perspective. She is frantic to protect him, honestly disagrees with Chuck on acceptable tactics, but ultimately decided that making him hurt wasn't worth it. Some of you will undoubtedly ask why Laura wasn't simply asked to do this in the first place and avoid all this angst. There is a very, very good reason that will be explained in a couple of chapters. Agent Walker is going to pay a high price for not following her orders._

_If you read the original, you've probably already figured out who Laura's new mark is and her significance. When I wrote the original, I didn't know who Alexi Volkoff was. I'll bet my house that neither did Fedak. So my plans for the sequel have evolved a bit. But I think the perceptive among you can probably now see what the next mission will be, and the major, major complication that will arise._

x-x-x-x-x


	19. Commitment to Duty

_This is not an original story. It was written during the middle of season 2. The original story assumed a sequel that never happened. So there will be some brand new content in this rewrite and several new chapters at the end._

_I realized that when I changed the rating, fewer people would read the story. It simply doesn't show up in the default list. I guess I'm surprised by how many fewer. But it can't be helped. There was no way to tell the story I wanted to tell and keep it T. You'll see why soon._

_Anyway, it's probably now more important than ever that the few of you that remain stay vocal. And you've done great. Keep the comments and reviews coming._

_I still don't own Chuck._

_If you enjoyed this or any of the stories on this site, please take a second and send the author a review. It only takes a second – and it really, really makes a difference. That's probably more important than ever now that the series has ended. If you want to keep the Chuck fandom alive and continue to read about these characters, you really need to think about rewarding the people whose hard work make that possible._

**Commitment to Duty**

x-x-x-x-x

Chuck was sitting at the desk in their room staring at the computer screen. Clearly he wasn't paying much attention to the intelligence report that Beckman had asked him to review. It was obviously a rather lame attempt by the General to take his mind off Sarah anyway, lame perhaps, but thoughtful nonetheless. Nice try, but he was far too deep in thought to notice that the screen saver had long ago kicked in and flying toasters were everywhere.

Sarah had only been gone for about fifteen minutes. She was probably just getting there. It was better to follow Sarah's advice and just not think too much about it. Chuck really couldn't get a handle on his emotions. At first he was definitely angry. She just didn't get it. Did she really expect him to stand there calmly, smile sweetly, and give her permission to walk into a hotel room and fuck another man over and over? Then have to deal with her guilt and pick up the pieces? Okay, so it wasn't exactly like that. But still…

But as he sat and thought about it more, his anger turned more into guilt. Sarah was a hero… and that didn't come close to it. She was amazing. In any way you could possibly think of, Sarah Walker was truly amazing. And there was no way you could call this cheating on him. She was the most loyal person he knew, was actually dreading this as much or more than he was. But she was willing to make these huge sacrifices without really thinking about the cost to her. She would pretend that it didn't matter… when it was clear that it affected her.

And here was the real kick in the head. She was doing it totally for him. She was willing to do whatever it took to protect him. That was actually something that Chuck understood. Because he was just as willing to do anything to protect her. And however much he disagreed with the priorities or tactics that the CIA had brainwashed into her, and he certainly did disagree, it was hard to not get a tingle in his chest at those constant and irrefutable reminders of how fiercely she loved him. If she'd let him, he'd very quickly tend to feel unworthy and inadequate. But she would never tolerate that. She was constantly building him up.

Not only that, he had known her for a year before they went on their first real date. He knew exactly what he was getting with Sarah Walker almost from day one. To ask her to change from 'super spy' to 'girl next door, wife and mother' overnight wasn't very fair. And in fairness, she had already made amazing strides. He was so proud of her, couldn't imagine loving someone as hard as he loved her.

So why couldn't he just suck it up and support her? What did this say about him? Was this possessiveness? Jealousy? Couldn't he just try a little harder? Chuck was so consumed in his thoughts that he didn't notice her come into the room until she was standing there staring at him.

"I don't want to fight with you anymore," she finally said. "I hate it when you're all mad and disappointed in me. It's exhausting. It makes me want to cry."

She hadn't gone through with it. At first Chuck was too relieved to see her to even think about what she was saying. But when it finally sunk in he instantly knew what she was saying with those few words. Sarah Walker didn't like to cry. She liked to make other people cry. So he quickly stood to face her. "I don't want to fight with you either," he said. "I hate it too."

Suddenly they were lying on the bed kissing. When Sarah launched herself into his arms the momentum carried them to fall backwards helplessly there. That was clearly her plan. It was just as well, since they were clearly destined to wind up in the bed in just a few seconds anyway.

"I'm sorry that I yelled at you," Sarah said softly between kisses. "I understand that I don't quite get your point of view on this. To be honest I still don't. But that doesn't really matter. I'm going to be your wife, in every sense of the word. That simply has to be #1 for me. It's important that I never do anything knowing that it will hurt you. That's not fair of me."

Chuck's mouth was pretty busy kissing her neck. But he was able to pause long enough to nod and acknowledge her statement.

Sarah's tone changed a little, became a little more frustrated. "But I'm also your bodyguard, Chuck. You have to admit that. Some things simply haven't changed. You're in fairly constant danger with a huge target on your back. I still insist that you allow me to protect you. Please don't make me apologize for that. That's not fair of you."

Chuck nodded again.

"So here is the new deal I'd like to propose," Sarah continued. "You'll promise me that whenever you're in imminent danger, you'll immediately follow every single one of my orders without pausing first trying to figure out what they mean, including staying in the fucking car when you're told. And in exchange for that promise, you now have complete veto power over any assignment that I'm asked to perform as a spy. That doesn't always mean that I'll agree. I might try and get you to see things my way sometimes. But even when I disagree, if I can't convince you, it's no with zero pouting allowed on my part. That's the only way for us to ever raise a family. So I promise it will become my priority. I love you. Do we have a deal?"

"Thank you," Chuck said. "I understand that this isn't a normal situation. You're not the bad guy here. Our circumstance is not your fault. I get that. You're a hero's hero, prepared to make ridiculous sacrifices for me. And maybe this priority thing is something that we'll have to agree to disagree about. I'm not trying to tie your hands behind your back. But there is something that you have to know. Even when I disagree with your decisions, I totally understand why you're so willing to do it. I'm simply in awe of that. I'm sure that I don't deserve to be loved like you love me. I need to find a way to deal with my emotions and never allow you to question that. I promise that will become my priority as well. I love you too. So, yes, we have a deal."

Sarah was obviously relieved that the crisis was past. It was now time to mark this fight as officially over with some intense makeup sex. "Okay," she whispered again between ever more intense kisses. "We're both sorry. Tying my hands behind my back might actually be a little fun. I have the handcuffs. Can we maybe save that for some other time? I have some other rather specific plans for tonight, and they don't include you being dressed in any way. Chuck, if you're not naked in thirty seconds, you're really going to be in imminent danger. Do we understand each other?"

Fortunately, Chuck fully recognized her playful tone. And since he was only wearing a t-shirt and sweatpants he didn't need close to the thirty seconds. "What about you?" he asked with a grin. "You have more clothes on. Thirty seconds doesn't seem practical somehow."

"I know," Sarah said as she broke the kiss and got off the bed. "I'm actually planning on taking a little longer." She looked Chuck directly in the eyes and she slowly began to unbutton her blouse. "Here is something that you perhaps haven't thought through. If you're going to insist that you be the only man to ever see me naked, you're going to have to deal with seeing it… a lot. I have some making up to do, don't you think? I can see your Mr. Bartowski Junior down there is getting pretty excited. But I'm afraid that's not good enough for me."

Sarah had no way to know this but she was standing there posing for her very soon to be husband, striking that model's pose wearing nothing but her smile at exactly the same time that Laura was doing the exact same thing for her mark just a few hotels down the Vegas strip. They were both striking that same model's pose designed to showcase their body for a man. The only difference was that one was having a much better time than the other. "Let's see if the show I'm about to put on for Mr. Bartowski Junior down there can set a record."

"A record?" Chuck asked as he sat on the side of the bed grinning at her. "Just how do you measure something like that anyway? By the way, is this a perk of our new deal? You really should have mentioned it. Did the CIA Academy really teach you nothing about negotiation tactics?"

Sarah stepped up to him and gently placed her finger on his lips to stop his incessant babbling. His teasing may have been very cute, but it didn't really fit the mood she was going for tonight. "I know that what is about to happen may make you a little uncomfortable, maybe even embarrass you a little," she said seductively as she took her seat on the chair across from him. "Tough. Tonight I'm in charge and I'm making a point. Although I may have learned some of these techniques in CIA training, this is not a CIA Agent playing a mark. I'll freely admit that an outside observer wouldn't be able to tell the difference. You need to be able to tell the difference. This is just a girl, a simple girl, making sure that her guy knows how very much she loves him. So watch and learn. Silently. The only thing I want coming from your lips are moans."

Chuck was about to continue teasing her. But the smart remark died on his lips when he saw Sarah caress her breast sensually. All he could do was look on helplessly as she placed her hand flat on her stomach and slowly began moving south. He could see her soft relaxed smile as she performed for him. But all he could feel was the beating of his own heart about ready to pound out of his chest. It was almost an out of body experience when she finally got up, walked to where he was sitting on the bed, kissed him lovingly for a long moment, and then slowly kneeled in front of him.

Sarah was right. To an impartial observer it would look like almost identical scenes were playing out in those two hotel rooms. Laura and Sarah were doing basically the same physical things at virtually the same exact time. The only differences were emotional, sense of duty, enthusiasm, love. But they were huge, enormous, almost indescribable differences.

The ironic thing is that both women were doing their duty.

Laura's duty was to something bigger than herself, the greater good. She wasn't having fun, far from it. She was doing the job she had been trained for, a mildly disgusting job. She was using the weapons she had been given, making a sacrifice like so many before her.

Sarah's duty was to an even higher notion… true love. And okay, there was a major difference. Yes, she was having fun. In fact fun didn't come close to describing it. Actually the more she concentrated on the details of her performance that she knew would turn him on, the more she found herself getting turned on even more than he was. In fact this was head and shoulders the most she had ever been aroused in her whole life, watching him get so massively turned on simply by watching the show she was putting on for him. But after a while, as both rooms became filled with the combination of soft sucking sounds and moans, she knew that she was also making every bit as big a point. Chuck had learned the difference between sex and love. This was love. She was showing the great, true love of her life what he meant to her, that he was #1 in her life… and always, always, forever always would be.

Both women ended up very content with their choice.

x-x-x-x-x

As soon as Peter West left the room, Bowles released Laura's breast with a playful tweak of her nipple and went to sit on the couch, exactly where West had been sitting. "I think I'm going to have a drink," she said. "Are you having something?"

Laura wasn't sure how to address her. West had called her 'Miss Bowles'. But she wasn't sure that much familiarity applied to her, at least not so soon. Better to play it safe. One thing for sure, when a mark asked you if you wanted a drink, it wasn't really a question. And since she was sitting relaxing on the couch making no movement whatsoever towards the bar across the room, it was clear she expected to be served for the evening… probably at several different levels that involved far more than just making drinks. "Yes, ma'am," she said as she walked to the bar. "What can I get you?"

"I'll have bourbon, straight up," she replied. "You should have vodka. Those tastes mix well on the tongues."

Well Laura had just learned several things. First, since she hadn't been corrected, 'ma'am' was the correct address for the night. Second, their tongues were going to touch imminently, which meant Sarah Walker now owed her big, big time… and Chuck even more. Last but certainly not least, not that he needed much help in this particular area, but after tonight she would now have a story that would keep Seth hard as a rock for a month. It would give her the advantage over him in bed for a long, long time. And since he used his advantage without mercy when he had it, this could prove quite beneficial. Straight vodka wasn't her favorite drink. But maybe tonight tipping back a couple of shots would be in order. So she poured the two drinks, put them on a tray and carried them over to where Bowles was sitting. "Here you go, ma'am," she said. "Your necklace is stunning."

Maybe Laura was firmly into uncharted territory here, after all her instincts didn't include knowing how to flirt with another woman. But she had just hit a homerun. Bowles' smile looked honestly genuine. "Thank you," she said. "Isn't it? It's from the horde of Czar Nicholas II. It was a gift from Alexi Volkoff. Would you like to try it on? It would look fabulous against your light complexion."

Laura wasn't sure where this was going, but there was no way to refuse. Besides, she was right. It would look fabulous on her… even with it being the only thing she would be wearing. So she took a quick sip of her vodka and sat it on the table. "Thank you, ma'am," she said. "Alexi Volkoff, the Russian arms dealer? That's very impressive."

Bowles reached behind her neck and unclasped the necklace. She held it out in a clear sign. So Laura leaned forward and allowed Bowles to place the necklace around her neck and fasten it. As she did, she pulled Laura into a kiss.

Laura didn't really know what to do. Well, that wasn't really true. It's just that she had never before kissed a woman like this. But she clearly had no way out. So the only thing she could think of to do was to pretend that she was kissing a mark, a male mark, open her mouth, seek out his tongue with hers, and make it as exciting for him as she possibly could. Laura was on a roll. Two swings, two massive home runs in a row. And actually Bowles was right. The taste of bourbon and vodka together was surprisingly good.

Bowles didn't press the issue and keep their tongues dancing for very long. For one thing, Laura's current position, standing there leaning over to her, wasn't very comfortable. She was clearly just testing how much Laura was willing to participate. Once she found out that the answer was as she expected she broke the kiss. "My God, you're beautiful," she whispered. "Maybe after you're fully on board with the organization I'll take you to Russia to meet him. Alexi would totally love you. You are exactly his type. And we could have so much fun on the trip."

Laura's spirits definitely picked up. _Alexi Volkoff? Nuclear weapons dealer? Public enemy #1?_ She resisted the temptation to ask what made her his type. The black hair? The fact that she was naked? Or her clear willingness to hit her knees for anything on two legs? This was now turning out to be a most productive night. Sarah would be kicking herself for passing this one up. Well the old Sarah before Chuck would have anyway. A Fulcrum Elder and now a shot at Alexi Volkoff? It was the evil scumbag mother lode. "Thank you, ma'am," she said. "I'd appreciate the opportunity, in both senses. I'm sure I could find a way to make it fun."

Bowles took a sip of her drink and leaned back on the couch. "We're going to have such a good time tonight," she said. "Just stand there and let me take you in for a minute. Tell me, Laura. Be honest with me. You're nervous, aren't you?"

Laura assumed the familiar model's pose and thought about how to respond. In the first place, when a male mark said how good of a time you were going to have what he really meant was how good of a time he was expecting you to provide for him. Laura wasn't totally sure but she strongly suspected that applied to female marks as well. She had just asked if she was nervous. CIA Agents, and now Fulcrum Agents, didn't get nervous. It was the first thing that you were taught. This woman would know that. It might come across as a sign of weakness. On the other hand, Bowles seemed to genuinely like her. Maybe a little honesty would come across as submissive. "A little, ma'am," she admitted. "It's just that this is a little outside of my past experiences. I'm not exactly sure what you want me to do. I don't want to disappoint you in any way. I'm hoping that doesn't offend you, ma'am."

Fortunately Bowles' grin told Laura that she had guessed correctly. "Good," she said. "I like it when they're a little nervous. It's a huge turn-on. It means that you'll make the extra effort to make sure that I'm happy, isn't that right, Laura?"

"Yes, ma'am," Laura said. "Of course. I want you to be very happy."

"Excellent," Bowles said with a laugh as she patted the couch next to her. "Don't worry dear. I'm going to teach you everything that you need to know. I'm going to give you plenty of practice time. We have all night. West says that you're a fabulous kisser. I certainly enjoyed our little appetizer just now. Perhaps now you'd like to come over here, get a little more comfortable, and prove Director West correct while you're slowly helping me out of these clothes. Then after we're nicely warmed up, we'll move this to the bed. I do believe that you're going to make me very, very happy."

Well that settled it. It was definitely time for some new experiences. So Laura put the softest smile on her face that she could come up with, tipped back what remained of her double shot of vodka in a single swallow, and obediently took her spot on the couch.

"Yes, ma'am," she repeated just before their lips met. "I want you to be very, very happy."

x-x-x-x-x

Chuck and Sarah were cuddled in their favorite position.

"That was without question the most intense feeling of my life," Chuck finally admitted. "Thank you for the effort. I'm just not sure which record you were going for. Intensity? Duration? Moans per minute? Help me out here."

Sarah wasn't sure why his simple admission made her feel so wonderful. She already knew it was true. But it did. And okay, so the nervous babbling that had been so annoying only a half hour ago was now so incredibly cute. "Has anybody ever told you that you over-analyze things?" she asked playfully without lifting her head from its most comfortable spot.

"Only about ten times a day," Chuck laughed.

"Well, consider this an assignment," Sarah said, still playfully. "Just this one time, please don't try and figure out why that was so intense or why watching what I was doing just for you turned you on so much... then figure out some way to feel guilty about it. Just lie there catching your breath, accept it for what it was, the woman who loves you going the extra mile for you, and enjoy the memory. Please do that for me, okay?"

"Okay," Chuck said while still laughing. "For the record, from where I was sitting it looked like you were doing the first part more for yourself than for me." Then he responded to her annoyed look. "I'm sorry," he quickly said. "Assignment accepted. You do realize that your assignment is only going to make me want it again in about ten minutes, right?"

"Of course," Sarah said, her grin hidden buried in his chest. "Why do you think I gave you the assignment in the first place? I'm impressed at how well that worked. I've never seen you like that. Maybe that's something that I need to tuck away for a rainy day. The next one you're going to have to earn somehow. I'm not stupid."

"You're not stupid," Chuck agreed with a laugh. "No one would say that. But you're also full of crap. For one thing, I'm pretty sure you had a pretty good idea that would affect me the way it did. Why else would you have done it? I'd also like to point out in protest that we're in the dessert. It hardly ever rains here. But that doesn't matter. This is not currency between us, something that I'm going to need to earn. It's something that you're eager to give to me. You and I both know that if I asked you, you'd get up and do that same exact thing, and even more, for me right now… or anytime I wanted. I have to admit, that fact in itself is a huge turn on. I can see in your face that it is just as much of a turn on for you. It almost makes me want to call you on it."

Sarah could only smile as the blush quickly ran up her neck and into her face. What could she possibly say to that? He had just totally nailed her. They both knew she could never say no to him, even if she wanted to, would be eager to do anything in or out of bed that he asked, and would in fact relish the opportunity. The electric tinkle that the very thought had just sent through her thighs made her wish the clock on that damn ten minutes would move just a little bit faster.

"Anytime I want," Chuck repeated playfully just for emphasis. "I think that I'd like to hear you admit that."

"Okay," Sarah said, still blushing, making no effort to deny what was so clearly true. "I surrender. Yes, you get absolutely anything that you want from me anytime you want it. In fact just thinking about you actually demanding something from me is a huge turn-on. Are you happy now that I've admitted it?"

"Wow," Chuck said with a grin. "Absolutely anything? Like what?"

That got an embarrassed laugh. "Try me," was all she said. "You've clearly made your point. Now you're just gloating."

Chuck grinned as he watched her blushing face simply light up the room. "Maybe," he replied. But he quickly let her off the hook. "Would it be over analytical to ask what we're going to do now?"

"I thought that we had already established that," Sarah replied. "Unless you have some immediate plans to test your new found power, I'm pretty sure that you would do anything I asked you as well. Unlike you, I am about to call you on it. We're going to lie here catching our breath for ten minutes and then you're going to show me today's version of that particular talent you've proved yourself such an expert at. After all, we simply can't allow such an amazing skill to atrophy."

"For one thing, I really don't think that's a skill that can atrophy," Chuck laughed. "But I didn't mean that. I was thinking in slightly bigger terms. What are we going to do with Peter West?"

"The same thing we were always going to do," Sarah replied. "Get him to reveal the Fulcrum Elders and then shoot the sick bastard in the head."

Chuck was clearly confused. "How can we do that?" he asked. "You didn't show up."

"No," Sarah agreed. "But I did something harder. I took your advice. I went to Laura's room and knocked on the door. I stood in the hall for ten minutes trying to decide if I could do it. It was maybe the hardest thing I've ever done. I told her that if she would change places with me tonight that I would forgive her and honestly work with her to get back to where we were. She was all over that."

"You mean…"

"Yup," Sarah answered. "She took my negligees. She's with him right now."

Chuck paused for a moment and allowed the relief to wash over him. It was possibly the best news he'd ever heard. But then the nagging thoughts came creeping back. "I'm glad it's not you fucking him right now," he said softly. "I'll not lie about that. But I don't want it to be Laura either. That sort of makes me a hypocrite, doesn't it?"

"What it makes you, Chuck Bartowski, is the sweetest guy in the world," Sarah said as she reached up to kiss him lovingly. "Will you please just listen to me with an open mind for a minute? I know that you love to worry about the people that you care about. But you don't need to worry about Laura, at least not about this. She is simply not wired like you. This doesn't mean all that much to her. I'll not pretend that she is enjoying herself tonight, nobody would. But it's not all that horrible for her either. For one thing, Seth couldn't care less who she fucks. He's probably in his room watching a pay-per-view movie and doing himself a big favor as we speak. That's probably as far as I want to go in visualizing that particular scene. Laura sees this just like Carina would, just like I would have a year ago, as a mildly unpleasant but necessary chore, something akin to scrubbing out the toilet. Trust me. I know her. Tomorrow she'll be teasing us all about it, telling us many more vivid details than we want to know. As long as we're having this discussion, once we stop living in a hotel, I'm not going to always be the one scrubbing out the toilet. I hate that job. It's disgusting."

Chuck ignored the shot. "Laura is not like Carina," he said skeptically. "I don't believe that. Laura is actually a good person."

"Meaning that you think that Carina's not?" Sarah asked with a laugh. "They are more alike than you think. You just have been allowed to know Laura better. You've only seen the hard candy tough-girl shell that Carina's allowed you to see. When she comes to trust you enough to allow you to see inside that shell, you'll find that you like her, maybe even someday come to love her as much as I do. She's warm, caring, and generous. She would walk through fire for me. But you're right about Laura. You really like her, don't you? Do I have something to worry about?"

Chuck knew Sarah well enough to know that she was mostly kidding… but not totally. "Is that a serious question?" he asked in faux annoyance. "I think she would be good for you. You need a girlfriend. You have Ellie, but Laura is someone who gets the life. And for the record, you have plenty of things to worry about. But the thought of me and another woman isn't one of them. Laura is funny, and fun to be around. But I'm where I want to be."

"You left out beautiful," Sarah said with a smile. "It's okay to admit that."

"And you think you're the only one here who isn't stupid?" Chuck asked facetiously. "Besides, I'm with the most beautiful woman in the world. Laura might be beautiful, but she doesn't come all that close to you. Nobody does. That wasn't hyperbole. I honestly think so. Since the first day I met you until right now, you simply take my breath away. I haven't been telling you that enough lately."

"That was a very good answer," Sarah said, surprised by the second blush within two minutes she could feel rushing up her neck at his so generous compliment. It felt wonderful. "You actually tell me that plenty. It always makes me feel great. So, thank you."

"Although I must admit," Chuck said playfully. "I'm maybe not qualified to give an expert opinion. I haven't seen Laura naked…"

That got them both laughing. "Do the words 'quit while you're ahead' mean anything to you?" Sarah asked when she could stop laughing. "I'm where I want to be too."

Chuck suddenly turned more serious. "I want you to admit something to me," he said.

"What's that?"

"Using sex on missions bothers you more than you're pretending," Chuck said softly. "Laura was right. It's not healthy."

Sarah just stayed still on his chest for a long moment. There was no sense trying to hide anything from him. He could see through her. "Okay," she finally said. "Yes, I hate it. I don't think I've ever pretended any different. But it was my job, Chuck. I'm not ashamed of what I've done. I've stopped some very bad people, saved scores of lives. I surely wouldn't mind if it never happened again."

"What do you think he's making her do right now?" Chuck asked, more to change the subject than anything.

Sarah lifted her head to look at him. She was surprised by the playful tone of that question, wondered if it was a serious one. She was even more surprised by what she could feel growing against her leg. Did those ten minutes just fly by? Or was he imagining an image that was maybe a little exciting for him? That was interesting. Maybe even something to be a little jealous of, or to be able to claim it anyway. Then again maybe she could stoke that slightly voyeuristic fire with a more descriptive erotic story the next time she was going for a record, maybe even with a practical demonstration of some example acts. "I don't know, sweetie," she said. "He'll get whatever he asks her for. He's pretty much totally calling the shots. It's impossible to predict exactly what a man like that will ask for. They are probably doing what we should be doing. Well, maybe not exactly what we should be doing. I really don't see that specific act coming into play anytime tonight."

It was fairly ironic. Sarah would never know this, but she was oh-for-two with her predictions. Seth was staying in a bunk in the FBI office. No pay per view porn was available. It was entirely possible that he was indeed doing himself a big favor in the dark room. But, well only he and the person who changed the sheets would ever know.

There was one thing that she did know without him even saying it. Chuck was going to dedicate the rest of the night to making sure that his fiancé got her very favorite thing for as long and as many times as she wanted… and that he showed her in word and deed how much he loved her. In fact, he was already gently pushing her knees apart, kissing his way quickly up the inside of her thighs.

Not that Sarah was thinking much about Laura or her assignment at the moment. Chuck's probing tongue expertly swirling around her #1 hot button had already robbed her of most of her capacity for rational thought. But she was also absolutely wrong about what Laura was currently doing. It was an honest mistake. That particular act rarely came into play on a seduction mission. Laura knew that. Hell, she probably knew as much about sex as anyone on the planet. But in this one particular limited but nonetheless important skill, Laura Carter actually had to defer to Chuck Bartowski. She couldn't claim his experience, enthusiasm, or quality. In fact she was a total rookie.

But for tonight at least, they would be equals in quantity.

x-x-x-x-x


	20. The Price

_This is not an original story. It was written during the middle of season 2. The original story assumed a sequel that never happened. So there will be some brand new content in this rewrite and several new chapters at the end._

_I promised BrickRoad that I would make Bryce a bad guy. I don't think he is here. But he clearly has a different perspective than Chuck does._

_I realized that when I changed the rating, fewer people would read the story. It simply doesn't show up in the default list. I guess I'm surprised by how many fewer. But it can't be helped. There was no way to tell the story I wanted to tell and keep it T. You'll see why soon._

_Anyway, it's probably now more important than ever that the few of you that remain stay vocal. And you've done great. Keep the comments and reviews coming._

_I still don't own Chuck._

_If you enjoyed this or any of the stories on this site, please take a second and send the author a review. It only takes a second – and it really, really makes a difference. That's probably more important than ever now that the series has ended. If you want to keep the Chuck fandom alive and continue to read about these characters, you really need to think about rewarding the people whose hard work make that possible._

**The Price**

x-x-x-x-x

General Beckman wasn't happy. And when the General wasn't happy, she made sure that nobody was happy. And currently the person in her crosshairs was Sarah. "This is outrageous," she growled. "Agent Walker. Care to explain to me what in the hell happened last night? How you decided totally on our own to pass off your assignment to another agent, one with a lower security clearance?"

The entire team was in the FBI office standing more or less at attention. Sarah looked particularly uncomfortable. "Yes, ma'am," she started.

"Excuse me, ma'am," Laura interrupted. "I went to Agent Walker and asked…"

"Agent Carter," Beckman interrupted briskly, the anger plain in her voice. "If I wanted to hear the sound of your voice, I'd have asked you a fucking question. Is that clear?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"I'll get to you in a minute," Beckman said. "Agent Walker, I'm waiting for an explanation."

There was really nothing for Sarah to say except tell the truth. "Yes, ma'am," she began sadly. "I'm afraid that I can no longer accept such an intimate assignment without the approval of my fiancé. That's the agreement that I made with him."

Beckman buried her face in her hands. "This is exactly why agents can't fall in love," she said. "I should have my head examined for agreeing to this arrangement in the first place. National security now finds itself at the whim of a jealous boyfriend. Agent Walker, we still don't know the location of that party. Do I really have to remind you how important this is, what an amazing opportunity we have been given? I understand that you have an appointment with West this morning? What are you going to do?"

"Well, ma'am," Sarah began cautiously. "I'm going to apologize for missing our meeting last night and ask for another test. Hopefully he'll ask me to kill Seth. We're ready for that."

"And what if he doesn't?" Beckman demanded angrily. "What if this pig wants you to crawl under his desk and compare your blowjob technique to Agent Carter's here?"

The anger in Sarah's voice was plain. "I'm afraid that's up to Chuck," she said. "He's hardly a jealous boyfriend, he's my soul mate, my very life. And I'm fairly confident that I know what he's going to say about me crawling under any desk and delivering a blowjob to Peter West this morning, or any morning when it comes right down to it. I find it hard to fault him for that. In all fairness, I'm not sure why you're surprised in any way. I made very clear when we agreed to this arrangement what was going to be #1 in my list of priorities. Nothing has changed. I'm not prepared to stand here and apologize for that. With all due respect, I understand better than anyone how important it is that we gain West's confidence and seize this opportunity. Any implication otherwise is simply wrong, and ma'am, quite frankly insulting. I'll admit that perhaps I didn't follow protocol last night. Things were moving too quickly for that. But I firmly believe that my actions were fully consistent with my obligations to my mission and duty, both to the country and to my future husband. Agent Carter did a better job than I would have anyway. She deserves nothing but our thanks for an amazing job well done. And as far as her security clearance, I didn't divulge any sensitive information to her. To answer your original question, naturally I would react to the mark's mood, but I'd probably claim that I'm still not feeling well, promise him his blowjob and much more after the party, and naturally, kill him in some grotesquely painful way just before it was time to pay off."

Beckman took a deep cleansing breath and let it out very slowly. "Let's all calm down a little," she said. "Maybe this will work out. Now does anyone have any ideas on how we can influence West's test?"

Chuck was as angry as anyone. But he also knew that going on a rant against General Beckman probably wasn't the smartest thing at this time. The fact was she didn't get it at all, had it all wrong. This wasn't jealousy, not at all. It was him protecting the love of his life. Laura said it better than he ever could have. Sarah wasn't like most spies. Even if she wouldn't ever admit it, using sex on missions made her feel guilty. That wasn't healthy. And since Beckman obviously didn't give a fuck about her well being… well, that left him. "Yes, ma'am," he finally said. "It's really fairly easy."

Chuck certainly wasn't the General's favorite person at the moment. So she made no attempt at keeping the skepticism from her voice. "Care to enlighten us, _Agent_ Bartowski?" she asked with a sarcastic emphasis on the word 'agent'.

Chuck ignored the inferred shot. "Yes ma'am," he said with a wink directed at Sarah. "Haven't you ever heard the story of Br'er Rabbit and the Briar Patch?"

All Beckman could do was shake her head. Why was it that when Bartowski explained something to you, you still didn't understand a damn bit better? "Actually," she muttered. "I haven't. Perhaps you'd care to broaden my horizons a bit."

Now it was Chuck's turn to shake his head. "You've never heard of Br'er Rabbit and the Tar Baby?" he asked incredulously. "You're kidding." _How do you get to be a General? It can't be based on brains. Then again, she sure as hell didn't sleep her way to the top. _"It's quite famous. The hero tricks the villain into doing what he wants by begging him not to. That's what Sarah will do. Plead with him for some other test. Make him jealous of Seth Roberts, consider him a rival, and want him dead."

Beckman could only continue to shake her head. But she had learned one thing over the past year. He was almost always right about these kinds of things. It was uncanny. "I'll take your word for it," she sighed. Then she addressed the team. "I want Agent Walker to wear a wire," she said firmly, the veins on her neck clearly visible through the monitor. "After what Agent Carter went through last night, I don't trust this pervert. Agent Casey, I want you to accompany Agent Walker to her meeting, monitor the situation from the car, and be prepared to support her. Agent Carter, take Chuck back to the hotel and wait there with him. We'll talk about how to proceed with the opportunity that was presented to you last night after we find out what happens this morning."

"Yes, ma'am," Casey and Laura said crisply at the same exact time.

"Agent Walker," Beckman said without much of her earlier anger. "I understand what your priorities are. And, yes, you're right. You've been very forthright in expressing them. But I simply can't have an agent on this important of an assignment who I can't control."

"When we get back to Burbank, we're going to talk about making some changes."

x-x-x-x-x

Sarah sat across the desk from Peter West. "Sir, I'm so sorry," she said with a sigh. "I take assignments seriously. I just wasn't physically able to come to your room last night. I was actually really looking forward to it."

West looked at Sarah closely. She wasn't dressed nearly as sexy today as yesterday, wasn't even wearing makeup. She clearly wasn't feeling all that well. But even with all of that, she was still the sexiest thing he had ever seen. "Laura said that you were ill," he said. "I trust that you are feeling better today?"

"Yes, sir," Sarah said. "I'm assuming that I had a touch of food poisoning or something. I'm feeling better than last night. Hopefully by tomorrow, I'll be fully recovered. I hope that Laura was an acceptable substitute."

"Laura was great," West said with a small smile. "But I was really looking forward to seeing you last night. I had been thinking about it all day."

"I know, sir," Sarah said sadly. "I feel terrible. Please tell me how I can make it up to you."

"Well, Sarah," Peter said calmly. "There is still the matter of your test. You do know what I had asked Laura to do?"

_Here it is, time to see how smart my fiancé really is._ "Yes, sir," Sarah said with a sigh. "I was just hoping that we could think of something else. That is something that I really don't want to do."

"Maybe we could work something out," Peter said as his eyes narrowed. "Tell me. What's really the matter, Sarah? You're not in love with him?"

_Let's see if Chuck is right about how jealous this macho pig will get._ "Of course not, sir," Sarah said softly. "Don't be silly. Agents don't fall in love. It's really sort of embarrassing. It's just that Seth is the best at… well… you said to be frank. Seth is the best fuck. It's just something that he's very good at. I'll miss that."

"Really?" West asked with a smile. "Sarah, I thought that you wanted to prove to me your loyalty? This is how I'm asking you to do it. Is there a problem?"

Sarah fought to keep the grin off her face. _Of course Chuck was right. He is always right. When will everybody stop questioning that?_ "No sir," she said with a sigh. "I said that I would do anything you asked and I meant it. Can I bring him by this afternoon?"

"Come at two," Peter said with a smile. "Make it something not so messy. I just had the office redecorated. You are aware that this has to be public?"

"Yes sir," said Sarah sadly. "Don't worry, sir. I know just what to do. It's actually a specialty of mine."

"Excellent," Peter said with a smile as he stood. "Invite Laura to come along and I'll give you the details for tomorrow's party after it's over."

"Yes sir," Sarah said with a soft smile as she stood to go.

"You know, Sarah," Peter said as he put his arm around her. "You still owe me a special night."

"Absolutely," Sarah quickly agreed. "Maybe after the party I can come see you. Laura and I are pretty competitive, especially when it comes to men. Whatever she did for you last night, I promise I'll be better."

"Better?" Peter asked in mock horror. "That would kill me."

"No sir," Sarah said in a sexy pout as she walked out the door. "We can't kill you."

As soon as Sarah left the office her face broke into a grin. She couldn't wait to rub Beckman's face in how exactly right about everything Chuck had just been. And as far as West…

_Well, maybe we can kill him. Yes, we most definitely can._

x-x-x-x-x

As soon as Chuck and Laura opened the door to his room, he noticed that she quickly had her gun in her hand. One more glance and he knew why. Bryce was sitting on the chair waiting for him. "Relax," he said calmly. "I'm not an enemy. I just want to talk to Chuck."

Laura didn't relax, far from it. In fact she conspicuously racked a round into the firing chamber, but not until she had pushed Chuck behind her protectively. "Chuck," she said without taking her eyes… or her aim off Bryce's chest. "Who is this?"

Chuck struggled with how much to tell her. After all, she wasn't cleared to know anything about the intersect. It would be hard to get into too many specifics without referencing it. "This is Bryce," he finally settled for. "Agent Larkin, actually. He was my roommate in college. He was also Sarah's partner for a while. They were… well, they were also a couple of sorts once."

Bryce turned his charming smile towards Laura. "Care to stop aiming your gun at me?" he asked. "Maybe we can be friends."

Laura did lower her gun. But she also didn't put it away. _This guy was with Sarah once? That made some sense. He was her type, pretty boy all the way._ "Okay, Agent Larkin," she said with no hint of humor. "You said that you wanted to talk to Chuck. Talk."

"Fair enough," Bryce said. Then he turned to Chuck. "I'm worried about Sarah. What have you done to her?"

Chuck bristled at his implication. "I haven't done anything to her," he said firmly.

"You're trying her hands," Bryce insisted. "Sarah is a spy. There is no room for jealousy here. She knows what she's doing. You're just going to get her hurt."

Chuck had heard just about enough. "Fuck you," he said dismissively, intentionally drawing out the words. "Don't pretend that you care about Sarah. It's really insulting. You don't give a fuck about her as a person. Oh sure, you always had her back physically. You'd look forward to situations to save her, but only so that she'd thank you later in bed. If you knew her at all, if you ever bothered to look past her tits, to get over your own selfish jealousy, you'd know that she was never happy as a spy. She was faking it. Of the two of us, I'm the one looking out for her. That is fully going to continue as long as I live. And, yes, perhaps she isn't as good of a spy now, at least not by your standards. But she's happy. So if you'll excuse me, this conversation is beginning to bore the hell out of me."

Bryce headed for the door. "You don't know what you're doing," he said sadly. "You're messing with her head. You don't have a clue what you're doing to her."

Laura stopped Chuck's angry retort with a single look and a subtle shake of her head. Then she followed Bryce into the hallway. "You said that you'd like to be friends," she said as she turned on her brightest smile. "I'm not sure that's going to happen. But you're wrong about Sarah. Chuck is exactly what she needs. In any event, if you ever, and I mean literally ever, talk to my partner like that again, I'll gladly shoot you between the fucking eyes and swear it was a tragic accident. Do we understand each other?"

As soon as Laura was back in to room, she stepped up to Chuck. "He couldn't possibly be more wrong if he tried," she said. "Sarah was really with that jerk? He sorta makes my skin crawl. You're the one who is looking after her. Thank you for that. I understand it's not easy. Please don't stop."

That got Chuck's biggest grin. "You don't have to thank me," he said. "I love her. Thank you for being there for her last night. I'll never forget it."

Laura shot Chuck her own grin. "You don't have to thank me either," she said. "I love her too."

"I know," Chuck said softly. "Maybe it's time that you and I started to be friends."

"I'd like that."

"Platonic friends," Chuck said playfully. "Without benefits."

That got them both laughing. "I guess I had that coming," Laura sighed. "Platonic friends with a man? That will be a first for me. But what the hell? I've already had a lot of new experiences on this mission."

"Let's go down to the casino and maybe have some fun."

x-x-x-x-x

As soon as Sarah got in the car, Casey started to laugh. "You know, Walker," he said as he started the car. "A month ago if someone told me that Sarah Walker would have blown off an assignment because she was in love with Chuck Bartowski, I'd have laughed in their face. But the truth is I'm very impressed. I can't pretend to understand what you see in him in the romance department. But I have to admit, he is a true genius."

"I guess," Sarah said sadly.

"That went exactly the way he said it would," Casey continued as he snickered.

Sarah just looked out the passenger window. "He's with Laura right now," she said. "I wonder what they're doing."

Casey did a double take. "Come on, Walker," he finally said with a sigh. "Really? Do you realize how stupid that sounded?"

"What do you mean?" Sarah asked as she turned to look at Casey for he first time.

"If you're worrying about Chuck betraying you, I don't know what to tell you," Casey said with a laugh. "I've never seen anybody have it so bad, except for you maybe. He would walk barefoot over broken glass to bring you a glass of water."

Sarah thought about it for a minute. Then her face slowly turned into a smile, and then a grin. "I guess you're right," she said. "I'm being silly. And you're right about him being a genius. He's incredible. I'm so proud of him. What would we do without him?"

x-x-x-x-x

When Casey and Sarah returned to hotel they had to walk through the casino. Of course to get anyplace in Vegas you had to walk through the casino. That was by design. So it wasn't unusual for their attention to be drawn to a crowd gathered cheering around a craps table. As they got close, they recognized Chuck and Laura. They could see that Chuck was the shooter and Laura was standing beside him. The relaxed grins on their faces clearly said that they were having a good time. Laura playfully blew on Chuck's hand as he threw the dice and another roar come up from the crowd.

"Oh my goodness," Casey said as they approached. "Look at that pile of chips. He must really be on a roll."

But all Sarah could see was Laura throwing her arms around Chuck's neck as they celebrated. Chuck playfully picked her up by the waist and spun her around as the other gamblers were busy patting him on the back.

Chuck was just getting ready to shoot again when he spotted Casey and Sarah.

"Hey guys," Chuck shouted with pure joy as his eyes widened in recognition. "I love this game. I've just hit eight straight passes. I'm up over two thousand dollars."

Sarah didn't respond. Suddenly she turned and quickly left the area. She basically ran towards the elevators.

"What's wrong with Sarah?" Chuck asked Casey with sudden concern as he tossed the dice. "What happened on her assignment? Did something bad happen? Did that pig…"

The crowd groaned as the dice showed snake eyes and Chuck's turn as shooter was suddenly over.

"Relax," Casey said with a smile as he shook his head in amazement. "The meeting went exactly like you said it would. You really don't know what's wrong with her, do you?"

Chuck's confused look told Casey all he needed to know.

"She's jealous, dumb ass."

x-x-x-x-x

It took Chuck a moment to cash in his chips before he could go after her. When he finally made it into the hotel room, he could see Sarah lying face down on the bed. Her head was buried in the pillow. There was no sign that she was crying, so that was good news. But she was clearly hurting. Without saying anything Chuck walked to the bed and plopped down beside her. "Wow," he said softly as he gently rubbed her back. "I guess I just did what the most evil men on the planet couldn't do. I mean, they had guns and knives and sometimes bombs. They've hit you and choked you and sometimes even tortured you. But they could never make the great Sarah Walker cry. If it wasn't so horrible, I'd feel a little proud."

"I'm not crying," Sarah said without lifting her head. "What makes you think that I'm crying? Just because I cried in front of you once doesn't mean that I'm a sissy."

Chuck snuggled into her as best he could. "Okay, maybe you're not a sissy," he said softly. "But jealous, Sarah? Seriously? I mean, I know that you've had a pretty bad morning. I'm very sorry about that. But if I gave you any reason to hurt, then I'm ashamed of myself. I'm the one in this relationship who is supposed to be all childishly jealous. You keep saying that if I really knew how you felt about me, I'd feel silly for being jealous. Well, I think that goes double for you. You should know that I would do anything before I would let you be hurt."

Sarah rolled on her side and buried her face into Chuck's chest. "I know," she sighed. "I'm sorry. I'm being pretty stupid. I understand that."

"You're being very stupid," Chuck said in his clearly teasing voice. "Amazingly stupid. How could you possibly think that I would ever look at another woman? And even for the sake of argument, if I ever did fall on my head and want to cheat on you, do you really think I would pick Laura, the same woman that betrayed you the first time? I might as well take your gun and shoot you." Chuck grabbed her and rolled onto his back. Sarah rolled with him leaving then in their favorite position. "I thought that you trusted me more than that? Does this mean that I can't be friends with her?"

"I'm honestly embarrassed," Sarah said as she finally looked up at him. "I want you to be friends with her. I want that a lot. I do trust you. I'm not making an excuse, but I'm having a tough day, so when I saw you hugging her… I'm trying, Chuck. I really am. You just don't know how hard it is."

"Huh?" Chuck asked in amazement. "You don't think that I know? Of course I know."

Sarah's eye widened as she watched Chuck's reaction.

"I've had to stand there and watch you make out with Bryce Larkin," Chuck said. "I had to sit there and watch a man's hand inside your bikini on his yacht. I had to look into his eyes and see his smug look as he prepared to take you below and fuck your brains out. I've had to go to bed knowing that you were planning on being in bed naked with someone who you once married. I had to watch you walk out that door knowing that you were going to be the sex toy for some Fulcrum pervert for the night. I know that most of those things were for missions. But believe me; I know exactly what it feels like. It sucks. There's no other way to say it. It may be the very worst feeling in the world. So if I made you feel like that, even for a second, I'm so terribly sorry. You should never have to feel like that. You're the great love of my life."

"No," Sarah said as she finally smiled a little. "I'm the one who is sorry. You didn't do anything wrong. I was being stupid."

"Did anyone ever tell you how adorable you are when you're sad?" Chuck asked with a grin.

"Actually, yes," Sarah replied with a grin of her own. "It was a class at the academy. Seduction through pouting."

"They have a class about that?" Chuck asked, honestly amazed.

"Well," Sarah said slowly. "It wasn't really technically a class. More like a workshop. You wouldn't believe the things they taught us there."

"Wow," Chuck said with a sigh. "Someday you're going to have to tell me more details about the Academy."

Sarah winced at his comment. She wasn't going to hide anything from him, ever. But she also wasn't in a mood to deal with his reaction to the details of her Seduction School final exam just yet. "Can we talk about that later?" she asked as she reached up to kiss him tenderly. "I'll gladly tell you every detail… about anything really. I'm not going to hide anything from you. But can we please wait for a calmer time? Maybe on our honeymoon."

Chuck smiled at the thought of a honeymoon. "We can wait," he said. "Do you honestly think that our honeymoon is going to be a calmer time?"

"Good point," Sarah said as she felt the blush come to her face. "Maybe after we get back. There will definitely be a recovery time involved. I'm sorry about today. You were really on a roll down there."

"You think so?" Chuck asked in a teasing tone. "Maybe. She's cute and everything. But come on, she was with Casey. I mean, that's disgusting."

"I'm talking about the gambling, smart ass."

"I'm up over two thousand," Chuck said with a smile as he kissed Sarah a little more urgently.

"I'm sorry that I ruined your luck," Sarah said between ever more intense kisses. "You do realize that I'm going to go down with you after I get back this afternoon and help you lose it all back?"

Chuck rolled so that Sarah was flat on her back with him basically on top of her. "Fine," he said. "Hopefully you didn't ruin my luck, just moved it to a new location. The honest truth is that you've had a pretty bad morning, a lot of it because you were defending me. I'm feeling guilty about that. Just for the record, it's not that I'm jealous."

That got a genuine smile. "I know," she said with a sigh. "You're looking out for me. You're the only one who ever truly has. I realize now how right you are. It's sort of a big reason why I was so foolish a few minutes ago. I can't lose this. That would end me. The thought honestly panics me a little. I guess that means I'm going to be a little extra clingy for a while. You have no reason to feel guilty."

"I'm doing something wrong," Chuck said. "If you even have that thought in your head, if you have any anxiety about me, then I'm letting you down. So I still do feel guilty. I'm hoping that you'll let me make it up to you."

Sarah seemed to consider that. "You're not doing anything wrong," she said softly. "Please stop thinking like that. The honest truth is that I don't deserve you. You've been so perfect. This stupid, stupid needless anxiety is all me." Then the twinkle in her eyes became plain. "But I'm also guessing that it would be selfish of me to not allow you to work off your guilt. Just how do you propose to do that? Flowers? Expensive jewelry?"

"Well actually," Chuck said as he began to unbutton her blouse. When it was lying open he slid his hand into the top of her bra. "I was sort of thinking that I'd use the same technique that you've been using."

Naturally, the idea of Chuck actually making the first move in bed had Sarah's senses instantly on the edge. For a moment all she could do was enjoy the sensation of Chuck expertly massaging her left breast. "You're going to use sex as a commodity?" she asked hopefully, making no effort to keep the desire from her voice.

"Is that okay?" Chuck asked. "It's sort of become our thing, right?"

"It's far more than okay," Sarah sighed as she relaxed and allowed him to continue to undress her. She waited patiently, letting him do all the work, only sitting up a little to allow him to take off her shirt and lifting her hips to allow him to take off her pants. Once she was completely naked she forced herself to just wait there for him. Fortunately she wasn't forced to wait for long as he began to slowly kiss his way down her body on his way to the promise land, gently but firmly pushing her knees apart to give himself total access.

Once her moans told Chuck that his efforts had her suitably close to the edge he sat up and took a moment to admire his handiwork. "You're so beautiful," he said. Indeed, the sight was amazing. The most beautiful woman in the world was lying there naked waiting submissively for whatever he would do next, not so calmly perhaps, but also not moving as she wordlessly acknowledged that he was completely in control. "It's like a dream. I'm afraid that if I touch you, you'll disappear."

"Maybe you should find out," Sarah said softly. "Quickly. I understand that you're taking the lead. But I'm on fire here."

"Don't worry," Chuck said. "I'm not going to tease you. Just let me grab a condom."

But Sarah grabbed his arm. "I think that maybe we're done with condoms for a few years," she said. "Don't you?"

"Are you sure that's what you want?" Chuck asked softly. "You don't have to do this for me. I'm very willing to wait until you're ready. Beckman would have a cow."

"Fuck Beckman," Sarah said. "I'm completely done worrying about what she thinks. She doesn't care about me. I'm a tool to her. As soon as we end Fulcrum, I'm thinking it'll be time to talk about moving on. And I'm very sure. Chuck, the honest truth is that I want it a lot more than you do. It's all I've been thinking about lately. I can't wait to see you as a dad."

"We'd better hurry up and get married," Chuck said with a grin. "We don't want our daughter doing the math someday."

"Our _son_ will be very good at math," Sarah corrected him. "It runs in the family. Now speaking of hurrying, we'll talk about getting married in a few minutes. First you have some work to do. Babies don't make themselves, you know?"

"One mission at a time, Chuck."


	21. The Widow

_This is not an original story. It was written during the middle of season 2. The original story assumed a sequel that never happened. So there will be some brand new content in this rewrite and several new chapters at the end._

_I realized that when I changed the rating, fewer people would read the story. It simply doesn't show up in the default list. I guess I'm surprised by how many fewer. But it can't be helped. There was no way to tell the story I wanted to tell and keep it T. You'll see why soon._

_Anyway, it's probably now more important than ever that the few of you that remain stay vocal. And you've done great. Keep the comments and reviews coming._

_I still don't own Chuck._

_If you enjoyed this or any of the stories on this site, please take a second and send the author a review. It only takes a second – and it really, really makes a difference. That's probably more important than ever now that the series has ended. If you want to keep the Chuck fandom alive and continue to read about these characters, you really need to think about rewarding the people whose hard work make that possible._

**The Widow**

x-x-x-x-x

It was an odd feeling. Well 'odd' really wasn't the right word. Sarah Walker had never felt like this before, couldn't really believe she could experience such a feeling. Oh her love making with Chuck was the highlight of her life. There was no question about that. And they had plenty of incredibly hot sex. In fact Sarah had a hard time believing how easily Chuck could coax mind blowing orgasms from her.

But nothing had come close to this feeling once she relaxed and allowed Chuck to be in total control. The climax started about the same time it usually did. And the intensity was about the same. The difference was how long it lasted. Well, was still lasting. Chuck's finger had long ago taken over. And the sweet spasms still showed no signs of slowing down. It would have been a little scary if it hadn't been so incredibly wonderful.

Sarah was simply helpless. She could feel Chuck as he continued to gently kiss her. But she really couldn't even kiss back. "Please don't stop," was all she could whisper.

And of course, she knew that she didn't have to say anything. Chuck had no intention of stopping. She wasn't even sure how long it lasted. It seemed like hours… but it probably couldn't have been that long. Finally, slowly, Sarah returned to the living. "Thank you, sweetie," she finally whispered as she placed her hands behind his head and kissed him back lovingly. "That was… that was incredible."

Chuck was clearly proud of the intensity of the orgasm he had inspired. "Wow," he said with a smile. "I've never seen you like that."

Sarah smiled back. "I've never felt like that before," she said. "Not ever close to that. I'm sorry that I checked out on you there for a while. I made you do all the work."

But to her surprise, Chuck's smile faded and he got serious. "Why are you sorry?" he asked softly. "You're always so desperate to take care of me. Would it really be so horrible to let me take care of you once in a while?"

All Sarah could do was to stare at him for a long moment. He obviously wasn't really just talking about sex. And as usual he was exactly right. Agent Walker was trained to take care of herself. She was conditioned to think that way. The only person you could totally depend on was yourself. Even in bed, she always took the lead, set the agenda, and took responsibility for her own pleasure. But the epiphany hit her between the eyes like a ton of bricks. She could depend on him. He would take care of her. It was more than trust. Her happiness meant more to him than anything. He would absolutely take care of her physically and emotionally to the very best of his ability, in all circumstances, including in bed. And all she would have to do was to stop being so damn uptight and let him. If she would only let him, he'd make her feel like that all the time. It was simply overwhelming. "I'm very sorry," she finally said. "It wouldn't be horrible at all. In fact, it sounds pretty wonderful. So I've never asked this of anyone in my life, but would you please take care of me? I'm willing to admit just how much I need you, Chuck."

Sarah probably wasn't aware of how powerful that question was to him. It was what he was waiting to hear, the last step in her, far quicker than expected, transformation from badass Agent Walker to Sarah, wife and mother. So even though the question didn't need to be asked or answered, Chuck answered anyway. "Yes," he said with a grin that lit up the room. "Of course. Thank you for asking. I know that was hard for you."

Sarah couldn't have kept the silly grin off her face even if she had wanted to. "Here's the thing," she said. "It honestly wasn't all that hard. I feel sort of foolish that it's taken me this long. So, I promise that I'll relax and let you take care of me. But I'm not going to be any less fanatical about taking care of you. Deal?"

"We so have a deal," Chuck said. He reached over and kissed her. It wasn't a sexual kiss at all. Neither would be in the mood for that any time soon given the long lovemaking session just concluded. But it was perhaps the most powerful kiss they would ever share, loving, purely electric. Both knew without saying anything its importance. The actual ceremony would now be just that, simply a ceremony. It was just formality, a symbol to the world. The real thing had just happened. Their deal was as binding as any vows ever would be. He had just kissed the bride.

They were now married.

x-x-x-x-x

This was it, the meeting that would decide their long term future. Sarah sat in Peter West's office very calmly. Well, she appeared calm anyway. It was the training, after all. It was the first thing they taught you, how to be calm in crises. Nerves got you killed. Besides, she was ready for this. Chuck's planning had her ready.

West looked across his desk at Sarah intently. He just couldn't get over the change in her persona. Long gone was the dumb blonde pouting sexpot. In her place was a cool determined professional agent. Maybe she wasn't feeling 100% yet, but she was clearly ready to proceed. He wasn't even sure which Sarah he found more attractive. But he sure was willing to give both an equal chance to get naked.

"Well, Sarah," West said calmly. "I understand that Agents Roberts and Carter are waiting in the reception area. Are you ready to complete your assignment?"

"Yes, sir," Sarah replied crisply. "I am. But before I begin, I have a bit of a confession to make."

"Confession?" West asked in a confused tone.

Sarah knew that this part was key to him buying this. "Yes, sir," she said. "Laura thinks that we're going to fake Seth's death."

"Fake?" West asked. "Why would you do that?"

"She is in love with him, sir," Sarah said softly. "She begged me to set this up to look like we were killing him. I agreed at first."

"That would be almost impossible to pull off," West said with a smile. "How were you going to do it?"

"I have blanks in my gun, sir," Sarah said without an expression. "Seth is wearing an exploding bag of blood in his jacket. I was going to make it look like I had shot him."

"Why are you telling me this?" West asked.

"Full disclosure, sir," Sarah said with a sigh. "If I'm joining Fulcrum, it's important that you know where my loyalties lie. I let you down last night. I honestly feel horrible about that. You need to know that I'm in this one hundred percent."

"So," West said as a smile came to his face. "Are you still planning on completing your assignment?"

"Yes, sir," Sarah said firmly without any hint of emotion. "In fact it's already done."

"Care to explain?" West asked as he leaned forward in anticipation.

"Yes, sir," Sarah said coolly. "The CIA developed a secret drug several years ago. It has a very long technical name but the agents call it Instant Heart Attack or IHA for short. It works by causing a massive coronary attack that is untraceable in an autopsy."

"Okay," West said. "I've heard the rumors."

"Just before I came in here," Sarah said calmly. "I gave Seth a dose of IHA in a stick of gum. Any second now, he is going to die of a massive heart attack."

As Sarah was speaking they could hear a loud commotion in the reception area through the door.

"Very resourceful," West said with a grin. "Sarah, this is most impressive."

"Thank you, sir," Sarah said without any emotion. "But there is going to be one serious problem."

West raised his eyebrows. "Problem?" he asked.

"Yes, sir," Sarah said sadly. "Laura is going to see this as a personal betrayal. She is going to hate my guts."

West calmly got up from his desk and walked to the office door. Sarah remained in her seat with no emotion registering on her face. When West walked into the reception area he found Seth stretched out on the floor. He was totally unconscious. Laura was franticly trying to administer CPR while she regularly paused to breath into Seth's mouth.

West noticed the tears running down the face of his secretary who was obviously shaken. "He just collapsed, sir," she said nervously as she watched Laura work. "I called 911. The paramedics should be here any minute."

'Oh, God," Laura said in a panic as she continued her rhythmic chest compressions with tears streaming down her face. "Please come back."

West knelt down and grabbed Seth's wrist to check for a pulse. Satisfied that there wasn't one, he let Seth's hand drop back to the floor.

Just then the paramedics burst into the room. Laura reluctantly moved to let them have easier access. She simply sat on the sofa and watched them work. They quickly checked Seth's vitals and started an IV. As they worked to load him on a gurney, West turned to them. "How is he doing?" he said with clearly fake concern. "Is he going to be okay?"

"I'm very sorry," one of the medics answered flatly. "He's gone. We can't legally declare him dead. That would take a coroner. So we'll take him to the hospital but he's gone."

"You bitch," Laura screamed as she stormed into West's office where Sarah was still sitting emotionless. "What in the fuck did you do?'

Sarah stood and faced Laura assuming a defensive posture. "I completed my assignment," she said firmly. "I'm sorry. I know that this is painful for you. I tried to make it painless."

"Laura, sit down," West said sternly. "Both of you. Agent Anderson just did what I assigned her to do. I know that this assignment was painful. But you need to understand that this organization does not play games. It demands totally loyalty. I expect the same from both of you. Are we clear?"

"Yes, sir," Laura said numbly as she made no attempt to wipe the tears from her eyes. "We are very clear."

"Yes, sir," Sarah said.

"Laura, are you going to be able to continue?" West asked more pointedly.

"Yes, sir," Laura said softly after a moments pause. "I will do my duty. No matter what. That can never be in question."

"Good," West said calmly as he handed each of them an envelope. "Welcome to Fulcrum. Here is the location of tomorrow's party. This is for your eyes only. There will be about fifty guests. There will be no attempt to identify any of the upper echelon organization leaders since their identity is top secret. And there will be men there who can boost your career significantly. So I would suggest that you act very, very friendly to any man who approaches you. Do you have any questions?"

"Yes, sir," Sarah said calmly. "How friendly? Are we talking about sex?"

"This is a party, Sarah," West said with a smile. "Not an orgy. Your goal will be to make these men to feel good about themselves. Dance with them, flirt with them, and make them feel like a beautiful woman desires them. Now if you want to make a date to meet someone later, that's your call. It might help your career but I'll leave that up to you."

"What style of dress?" Laura asked numbly.

"Evening gowns," West said with a smile. "Lot's of cleavage. I like that. You both have amazing figures, why hide them? I would tell you to take extra care to make sure you are most attractive. But that would be silly, in this case. It's hard to imagine either of you being anything else. You're dismissed."

As they got up to leave, Sarah turned to Laura. "Come on, Laura," she said softly. "I'll take you back to the hotel. I know that you're hurting."

"Go fuck yourself," Laura spat out as she stormed out of the room. "You and I are done."

West watched her with a fair amount of amusement plain on his face as she stomped out of the room. "Well, Sarah," he said with a laugh. "One thing is for sure. She isn't going to be watching your back for a while."

"No sir," Sarah said with a slight smile. "The truth is that I never liked her anyway. Maybe you could take over for her for a while. Go fuck myself? Where is the fun in that? How about after the party, we hook up?"

"I'd like that," West said with a broad smile of his own.

"I'd like it too," Sarah said seductively. "I promise you a night that you'll never forget."

As Sarah left the office her smile turned decidedly sinister.

You'll never, ever forget.

x-x-x-x-x

Sarah and Laura were in the conference room at the FBI office quietly waiting for Beckman to come online.

"Agent Carter," Beckman said as she appeared on the screen and began the conference. "I just want to reassure you that Agent Roberts is fine. The fake CIA paramedics were able to revive him using the antidote. The CPR that Agent Carter administered and his slowed metabolism caused by the drug made sure that he suffered no long term affects. Another corpse was taken to the hospital and pronounced DOA. The substitute is scheduled to be cremated this afternoon. Seth Roberts is officially dead. Agent Walker, you are now legally a widow. I've had a copy of his death certificate added to your file."

"Thank you, ma'am," Laura said with a sigh. "That's a relief. Where is he?"

"He is waiting for you in his room," Beckman said. "I'm afraid that you're going to have to say goodbye until the mission is complete. He's going to stay in his apartment in Washington. It is vital that he not leave Washington for any reason until we've wrapped this up. I plan on checking in on him personally. Is that clear?"

"Yes, ma'am," Laura said quickly. "It is very clear. Don't worry, ma'am. I'll make sure that he stays put."

"Good," Beckman said. "He asked to speak to Agent Walker as well. Did Peter West buy all of this?"

"Yes, ma'am," Laura said with a laugh. "Chuck's plan worked perfectly. He bought it hook, line, and sinker. Having Sarah confess the plot to fake his death really sealed it. That was brilliant. I have to say that I was starting to hate Sarah a little myself. She played the stone cold bitch to perfection. Something tells me that she's had a fair amount of practice."

"What do you mean?" Sarah said in mock horror. "I'm pretty sure that I felt a cool breeze of my own when you told me to go fuck myself."

That got them both laughing. "Seriously, ma'am," Laura said as her mood suddenly turned more somber. "I want to express my gratitude for your help. I know that you didn't have to do this."

"Well, Agent Carter," Beckman said softly. "You're welcome. We ask a lot of our agents. It's nice to be able to do something in return. But you should really thank Chuck. It was his plan."

"Yes, ma'am," Laura said with a glance towards Sarah. "I've never met anyone quite like him. He really is a genius."

"I think that I can safely say that none of us have ever met anyone like Chuck Bartowski," Beckman agreed quietly with an audible sigh. "But please tell him that in private if you must. His head is too big as it is, if you know what I mean."

"Yes, ma'am," Laura said with a laugh. "I think that I understand."

"Do you think," Laura said as she turned to Sarah. "That I could give him a physical expression of my gratitude without you going postal on me?"

"Maybe," said Sarah softly. "It depends on what you mean by physical. I'm thinking a hug. Your hands stay above his waist and it lasts no more than ten seconds. There will be no repeat of the casino nonsense."

Laura knew that she was only half kidding. She was a natural flirt. Sarah knew that. But she should have been more sensitive this morning. They were just starting to make some legitimate progress. It would be stupid to allow a misunderstood hug to screw that up. So maybe she should tread lightly from the casino earlier. "Duly noted," she said softly. "I'm sorry about earlier. It wasn't anything like that. I promise."

That got Sarah laughing. "I know," she said. "I was just teasing. Chuck made me see how incredibly stupid I was being. The fact is that I trust him totally. Give him as many hugs as you want. Just make sure you stay dressed. Besides… I hear that you've turned to women."

That got them both laughing so hard that they couldn't talk for a while. "It's true," Laura finally said as soon as she could stop laughing. "She tells me that my technique was getting quite good. Maybe later today I can get him all crazy jealous when I hug you. After all, turn about is fair play, right?"

Beckman was clearly trying to make amends with Sarah, because she uncharacteristically allowed them to enjoy their inside joke and giggle in her briefing for a few moments. "If we could get back to business," she eventually said softly but firmly. "I've made the decision to share some information with you. There are only eight people in the world with this knowledge. The authorization to tell you comes directly from the commander in chief. And this information is to never leave this room. Do you understand?"

Laura immediately recognized the tone of her voice and snapped to attention. "Yes, ma'am," she said. "It sounds important."

"Terribly," Beckman said. "I hesitate to tell you because the last time that I shared this information it didn't work out too well. But for you to be effective on this mission, you'll need to know. I'll bet that you're wondering why we've assigned our very best field agent to protect an analyst, even one as bright as Chuck."

Laura smiled as she recognized Beckman's second very plain overture to Sarah in the last minute. Calling her the very best field agent? Sure, it was true, but also something that was never said out loud. She was clearly trying to mend some broken fences from this morning. If Sarah was affected at all was unclear. She showed no signs of wanting to make up. "Yes, ma'am," she said. "The thought has crossed my mind."

"Chuck is not an analyst," Beckman said. "He is the human intersect. That makes him the most valuable intelligence asset in the world."

"Chuck is a computer, ma'am?" Laura asked in confusion. "I don't understand."

"No," Beckman said with a smile. "For some reason that we don't totally understand, Chuck was able to assimilate all of the intersect data. He can identify that data when he is properly stimulated."

Suddenly the realization of what that meant hit her. "Wait a minute," Laura said in amazement as she turned to Sarah. "He's your asset? Your relationship is a cover?"

"It started off as a cover," Sarah agreed with a smile. "But it is real now. Laura, I love him more than I could ever say. Chuck and I are going to be married as soon as possible, maybe today if I can talk him into it. And he will be my last assignment."

"I've tolerated this unusual circumstance," Beckman said firmly. "Because of my high regard for Agent Walker and the unbelievable success that they have had as a team. But let me be clear. There is no higher priority then the safety of the intersect, I mean Chuck."

Now the intensity of this morning's argument made sense. "Yes, ma'am," Laura said firmly. "You can count on me."

"Now that we know the location of the party," Beckman said. "We'll work on a plan to infiltrate. Let's all get together tomorrow at five. We'll go over our plan at that time. Until then, go have some fun. You've certainly earned it. You're dismissed."

As soon as the screen went blank Sarah turned to Laura.

"I guess we need to go shopping for evening gowns," Sarah said with a smile.

"Yup," Laura agreed with a laugh. "With lots of cleavage to please our soon to be dead pervert. Look out Forum Shops."

"It's too bad that Seth is leaving you all alone," Sarah said with a smile. "We're in the party capital of the world. How are you going to have any fun tonight?"

"Don't worry, Sarah," Laura said with a sly smile.

"I'll think of something."

x-x-x-x-x


	22. Closure

_This is not an original story. It was written during the middle of season 2. The original story assumed a sequel that never happened. So there will be some brand new content in this rewrite and several new chapters at the end._

_I realized that when I changed the rating, fewer people would read the story. It simply doesn't show up in the default list. I guess I'm surprised by how many fewer. But it can't be helped. There was no way to tell the story I wanted to tell and keep it T. You'll see why soon._

_Anyway, it's probably now more important than ever that the few of you that remain stay vocal. And you've done great. Keep the comments and reviews coming._

_I still don't own Chuck._

_If you enjoyed this or any of the stories on this site, please take a second and send the author a review. It only takes a second – and it really, really makes a difference. That's probably more important than ever now that the series has ended. If you want to keep the Chuck fandom alive and continue to read about these characters, you really need to think about rewarding the people whose hard work make that possible._

**Closure**

x-x-x-x-x

Sarah really didn't want anything to do with Seth Roberts, would have been very content to never see him again. And now that she was legally no longer married to him, she frankly hoped to never have to hear the name again and pretend that he never existed.

But Laura pleaded with her. What else could he possibly want than to apologize and thank her for her help? Maybe everybody could get some much needed closure. That would be a good thing, right?

Sarah still wasn't convinced. But she had promised Laura that she would work towards being her friend again. The simple truth was it wasn't going to take all that much work. They were already acting almost like old times. It felt pretty great. And the fact of the matter remained that Seth was going to be with her best friend. She was going to almost assuredly regularly hear his name, was probably going to even see him now and again. So maybe some closure would be in everybody's best interest.

When they entered the room, Seth was lying on the bed. He slowly sat up when he recognized them.

Laura rushed to sit on the bed next to him. "What's wrong?" she asked. "Are you sick?"

"Just tired," Seth assured her. "They told me I would be pretty tired for a few hours, an aftereffect of the drug. They are going to let me stay here until midnight to rest. Then I'll fly to Washington." Then he turned to Sarah. "I'm glad you're here," he said with a grin. "This might not be the ideal situation, but it's the only opportunity we're likely to have for some time, so I'll gut it out."

Sarah worked hard to keep her seething dislike pushed down for Laura's sake. But she also wasn't going to go out of her way to be nice. "What do you mean?" she asked. "Ideal situation? Ideal situation for what?"

"For me to collect what I'm owed," Seth said as his grin broadened. "I set up your meeting just like I promised. The ten blowjobs will have to wait. But I get one night of nothing off the table." Then he turned to Laura. "I didn't touch her," he said. "Just like I promised you. We had a deal, right?"

Laura looked anxiously at Sarah for any sign that was reaching for a knife. But she needn't have worried. Sarah was roaring with laughter. In fact she was laughing so hard that she had to lean on the table to keep from falling. "Oh, Seth," she was finally able to get out sarcastically. "Now that we're not married anymore, I finally get your sense of humor. Thanks for that." Then she turned to Laura. "I'll wait outside so you can say goodbye to your _guy_. Then she spun on her heel, still laughing and walked out the door. As soon as the door was closed behind her, she leaned on the wall and continued laughing.

_Closure is vastly overrated._

x-x-x-x-x

Sarah struggled to carry her packages and still open the hotel room door. It had been a very successful afternoon of shopping. So much so that she had more packages then she could really carry. So it shouldn't have been a surprise when she stumbled coming into the room. Chuck who was sitting at the laptop quickly jumped up to help her.

"Are you okay?" Chuck said in concern as he helped Sarah to her feet.

"I'm fine," Sarah said with a heavy laugh as she allowed Chuck to lift her up. "Clumsy but fine."

"How much stuff did you buy anyway?" Chuck asked as he started to pick up the packages that had gone flying as Sarah fell.

"Well," Sarah said hesitantly. "We were just going to buy an evening dress for tomorrow night."

"And…" Chuck said with a smile.

"Well," continued Sarah with a laugh. "When Laura and I go shopping, this is usually what happens. I hope that you don't mind."

"Why would I mind?" Chuck asked cautiously.

"I don't know," Sarah said with a soft sigh. "We are going to be married soon. I think that it's fair that we discuss it before either of us spends a lot of money. Don't you think?"

"How much did you spend anyway?" Chuck asked in mock horror.

Sarah knew that he was teasing. The fact was that most everything she bought today was for the mission and hence paid for by the taxpayers. That would probably be the thing that she missed most about being an agent, all the free clothes. But that didn't mean she couldn't tease him about it. "You said that you were up a couple of thousand gambling," she said with a toothy grin. "Well not any more."

But to Sarah's surprise, Chuck got a little serious. "You had a good time," he said softly as he wrapped her in a bear hug. "Didn't you?"

Sarah knew that he was talking about far more than just shopping. "I really did," she said with a sigh as she returned the embrace. "I missed having Laura to go shopping with. That was always our favorite thing to do. It seemed like old times."

"Then I don't care how much money you spent," Chuck said as he pulled back on the embrace to kiss Sarah gently.

"Okay," Sarah sighed as she melted into his arms. "Let me have it. I have it coming. Rub it in. Tell me how right you were about Laura."

Chuck broke the embrace with his classic grin. "Come on, Sarah," he said. "I'm not that guy who says 'I told you so' all the time. I'm the guy who makes _you_ stand there, look me in the eyes, grovel a little, and admit how right I was."

As soon as Sarah could stop laughing, she looked him in the eye. "Okay," she said. "You win. You were absolutely right."

Chuck furrowed his brow in mock thought. "This would be the point where you admit that I'm always right about these things and promise you'll never question it again."

"Okay," Sarah said with a short laugh. "I promise. Was that enough groveling? Or did you have some more in mind? Should I maybe get down on one knee while I promise?"

"Oh, you should definitely get down on a knee," Chuck said. "Maybe even both knees. But first you forgot about the sexy strip tease you're about to do for my enjoyment that is a symbol of that promise."

"That was such a nice try," Sarah said as they both started laughing. "A really, really nice try. If you really practice for a few years maybe could actually act like a pig."

"I can be a pig," Chuck insisted. "Someday I'm going to prove that to you."

"Keep trying," Sarah said through her giggling.

"Are you going to show me what you bought?" Chuck asked as soon as they could stop laughing.

Sarah stopped laughing and got a little serious. "I'm sorry," she said. "I can't show you. I bought a teddy for my next seduction mission. I would feel wrong for you to ever see Agent Walker in it."

Chuck did something of a double take. "Okay," was all he said.

"Oh my God," Sarah said. "Chuck, you know that I'm just teasing. Sarah Walker will never wear it. It's reserved for Sarah Bartowski. My next seduction mission is going to be our wedding night. I think I know enough about your tastes to know that you're going to like it. And even if you don't, I hopefully won't be wearing it all that long anyway."

Chuck didn't try and hide his relief.

"Come on, sweetie," Sarah said softly. "I'm sorry that I teased you. But don't you understand? I don't see any more seduction missions in my future. And even if I did, you have veto power, remember?"

"I was too sensitive," Chuck said with a smile. "Don't ever be sorry for teasing. If we can't laugh at ourselves… it was a good one."

"I have a proposition for you," Sarah said as she stepped back into an embrace. "I told you that you get anything from me anytime you want it. I meant that. So if you want that sexy strip tease as a symbol of my promise, I'm more than happy to comply."

"I was teasing," Chuck said. "Although I can't imagine ever turning that down. Don't forget the part about getting on your knees."

"You need to start being a little careful what you ask me for," Sarah said with a grin. "Because going forward I think you're going to be surprised by how quickly and literally you get it. But here's what I'm thinking. How about instead we take a nap and rest up for our wedding night… tonight?"

"You've only been single for a couple of hours," Chuck teased. "You want to get married today? What about the wedding we planned? With Pastor Bob?"

"I still want that," Sarah said quickly. "We can still have that formal ceremony, right? Look, I know that Bob told us that we should wait to get married until we were more ready. If you're not ready, I'll drop it. It's just that I want to be Sarah Bartowski really badly. I don't think I can explain how much I want it. I'm sorry. I feel like a kid on the night before Christmas. I don't want to wait."

"Why on earth would you be sorry?" Chuck asked with a grin. "Let's take that nap. We're ready. I want you to be Sarah Bartowski too. But I want to call Ellie. I wouldn't feel right if she didn't know."

"I've already talked to her," Sarah said with a grin. "I didn't want to bring it up to you if she was going to be hurt about it. Chuck, she was so excited that I couldn't understand her for a while."

x-x-x-x-x

"This really isn't right," Chuck said in mock disgust as they settled into bed for their nap. "You say that you want me to rest and then you climb into bed with me naked? That hardly feels fair."

"I know," Sarah said with a grin as she put her head on Chuck's chest and snuggled into him, conspicuously rubbing her chest against his. "I feel like such a tease. Maybe I want you to remember what you have to look forward to in a few hours. Trust me. You'll be thanking me for making you rest later tonight. I have quite the wedding night planned. You'll need all of your strength… and then some."

"So," Chuck said. "If I can't get a little afternoon delight, tell me about today's mission. It must have worked out well?"

"Exactly how you said," Sarah said. "He was all over himself buying it. The confession totally sold it. Someday you're going to have to tell me how you can predict those things so accurately."

"Great," Chuck said with a sigh. "I'm glad. How can I predict things? I keep telling you, I understand how pigs think. You'll see."

"Sweetie," Sarah said with a short laugh. "There is no way that you'll ever act like a pig. You just don't have it in you. Laura was going to come over and personally thank you for saving Seth. But given her normal reward system, I thought it would be better this time if it came from me."

"Nice thinking," Chuck said. "A wedding night reward?"

"It's not half of the reward that you deserve," Sarah whispered as she reached up to lightly kiss him.

"I think you might want to look around," Chuck said with a laugh. "I'm in one of the swankiest hotels on the Las Vegas strip. I'm in bed with the most beautiful girl in the whole world."

Sarah smiled at that.

"And, oh my God," Chuck continued as he arched his eyebrows and lifted the sheet a little. "She's naked."

Sarah tried her best to keep in the laugh but it came out pretty wet.

"I'm thinking I'm pretty lucky."

"Stop," Sarah said with a twinkle in her eye as she struggled to control her laughter and playfully slapped Chuck in the chest. "I'm pretty lucky too."

"So, what are we going to do tonight?" Chuck said as he rubbed Sarah's back. "We have a few hours before the wedding chapel appointment."

"Anything you want," Sarah said happily. "Well, not anything. We're resting for later, remember? But we have the rest of the night off."

"Do you think we could hang out with Casey for a while?" Chuck asked softly. "I mean if you don't mind."

"Casey?" Sarah asked in surprise.

"I feel kind of bad for him," Chuck said as he smiled at Sarah. "I don't want him to feel like a third wheel. Maybe you could talk to him for a while. You know, agent to agent."

"Chuck," Sarah said with a huge grin. "Are you actually asking me to flirt with Casey? On our wedding night?"

"Not flirt," Chuck said quickly. "Not really. I didn't mean flirt at all. Just talk about some disgusting spy stuff with him. Maybe make sure that he knows how much we value him."

Sarah's silly grin slowly transformed into a look of total admiration. "Wow," she finally said softly. "You really are the nicest man in the world."

"I know," Chuck said with a grin. "And to think I'm lying here being tortured."

"For the record," Sarah said as she leaned in to lovingly kiss him. "You get anything from me that you ever ask for. If I can figure out what it is, you won't even have to ask. That applies always, including right now. So if you don't want to rest…"

"I'm teasing," Chuck quickly said. "I can't wait to see what you come up with."

x-x-x-x-x

Sarah, Chuck, and Casey were sitting in a booth having a sandwich. It was a little too early for a huge dinner but they were hungry. So they decided to grab a snack and wait and have a late supper after the ceremony. Then they would celebrate by doing some gambling… and maybe a little drinking. All three were in a great mood. Long gone was any remnant of Sarah's bad argument with Beckman earlier this morning. She had a seemingly perpetual huge smile on her face. And when Sarah smiled, it was hard to see it and not be in a good mood. Since agents didn't get many opportunities to relax, the ones they did come across were always fully taken advantage of. Casey and Sarah were engaged in their newest favorite pastime, trying to one up the other about past missions.

"There is not much more important," Casey said with a smirk, "then flying a Stealth Bomber. Do you know that they carry up to six nuclear weapons?"

"I don't know about that," Sarah replied with her eyes shinning. "But there was the time in Italy when our NATO missile launch codes were compromised and I had to go under cover to retrieve them. They could have launched our entire missile fleet. It would have started World War III."

Sarah had just dropped the big one. That mission was one of the most famous in spy lore. Sarah was actually being modest. They maybe wouldn't have been able to launch the entire fleet. That was still being debated at the Pentagon years later. But she had almost assuredly saved several European cities from being nuked. Casey maybe didn't know the specific mission details, but he knew enough to know when he was beat so he simply smiled and turned to the casino to check out the sights.

Chuck did know the mission details. And he clearly either felt sorry for Casey or was entertained by the discussion. Whichever it was he decided to help him. "Under cover or under the covers?" he asked softly with a grin.

"Yeah, Walker," Casey said, suddenly emboldened to resume the sport. "Tell us. How many missiles did you have to make… umm… stand down on that assignment anyway?"

"That's classified," Sarah said in mock seriousness. "And you," she said as she rolled her eyes at Chuck in laughter. "You are getting entirely too cocky for your own good. Don't you remember our talk about paybacks?"

The entire table was laughing so hard that they didn't notice Laura until she was slipping into the empty seat next to Casey. "Hey guys," she said as she smiled at their laughter. "Why are you in such a good mood? I mean besides this wedding thing."

"We have the night off for a change," Sarah as she tried to control her laughing. "Why are you here so early? I expected you to be, well, on your back right about now."

"Me too," Laura said as she joined the laughing. "It seems that Seth is tired. I guess dying earlier today really tired him out. He's taking a nap. I'll run over after the wedding and say goodbye to him for a minute."

"And that's all?" Sarah said skeptically. "There is no other possible reason that he might be tired?"

"Okay," Laura said with a sly smile. "I may have had something to do with it."

"Wait a minute," Chuck said softly. "You mean to say that you just had sex with this woman's husband, are going to again tonight? And you're bragging about it to her face? Isn't that pretty insensitive?"

Laura didn't know how to react so she simply starred meekly at the distance. Suddenly the entire table erupted in laughter.

"Don't mind Chuck," Sarah said as she laughed. "He's on the prowl looking for trouble."

"And he just found it," Laura said she joined the laughter in relief. "For the record, Chuck, there has been no actual sex… yet. As long as Seth's sleeping I thought I would come over here and see what you guys were up to before the wedding."

And what they were up too was having a good time. Chuck had never seen Casey in anything close to this good a mood that didn't involve a gun of some kind. Of course it didn't hurt that he was up a couple hundred at Blackjack. And it certainly didn't hurt that he was with the two most beautiful women in the city. Since Laura was a natural flirt and she knew that she better not direct any of that Chuck's way, Casey got the full treatment. Not that he complained.

The two couples laughed their way around the casino. At first they played Blackjack. Then they tried Craps for a while. Eventually they wound up at the slots. Chuck had long since introduced Sarah to his favorite drink in Vegas, the Mai Tai. Chuck knew that there was no way to talk Casey into drinking anything other than Scotch so that left Laura. After a fair amount of convincing he finally got her to try one. It became a running joke between them when she actually liked it. So Chuck insisted that he get the drinks for the rest of the night.

On one of his trips to the bar to fetch another round, Chuck locked eyes with a tall man with curly dark hair similar in color to his. That's when he flashed on the Fulcrum agent.

As Chuck was carrying the tray of drinks back to the others, Laura got up from her slot machine to help him. She noticed the look of alarm on Chuck's face right away. "What's wrong?" she said softly as she walked up to Chuck.

"See that tall man sitting at the bar with the red shirt?" Chuck asked.

"Grey slacks?" Laura said as she picked out the man that Chuck indicated.

"Yes," Chuck said softly. "He's Fulcrum."

Laura immediately switched into agent mode as she quickly scanned the room for possible threats. "How do you know?"

That would take about a year of explanation. "The Intersect," Chuck responded sadly. "It's what I do. Trust me. He is definitely Fulcrum."

"Has he identified you?" Laura asked softly.

"I don't think so." Chuck replied.

"Go tell Sarah and Casey," Laura said firmly as she headed towards the bar. "I'm going to see if I can find out what our new friend is up to."

x-x-x-x-x

Sarah was particularly unlucky at slots, so much so that they were starting to make fun of her. And since she was ultra-competitive, that wasn't much fun… for her. It was beginning to really frustrate her to watch Chuck constantly win and then not get a whiff herself. So when she finally hit the bonus she waited for a second for Chuck to walk up with her drink before she began to gloat. "What was Laura whispering to you?" she said with a smile as she wordlessly indicated with a flip of her hand the bonus waiting on the slot machine. "I know that you're looking for trouble tonight but you're not trying to make me jealous again, are you? Fair warning, that's probably a little more trouble than you're looking for."

"I just flashed," Chuck said. "There is a Fulcrum agent at the bar."

The slot machine was immediately forgotten as Sarah quickly snapped into agent mode. She stood and quickly scanned the room for threats. "Where is Laura?" she asked as she gently pulled Chuck behind her.

"She is going to try and find out what he is doing here," Chuck said.

"Could you tell what he was doing?" Sarah asked as she started to pull Chuck towards Casey. "Do you think that he recognized you?"

"He was just sitting at the bar having a drink," Chuck said while shaking his head. "He couldn't even see us from where he was sitting. He didn't look like he recognized me but you can never be sure with you spy types."

Casey was alerted immediately by the tone of Sarah's voice that something was up. "What's our status?" he asked softly.

"Chuck just flashed on a Fulcrum agent at the bar," Sarah said quickly. "It's probably just a coincidence but we've been way too sloppy. Laura is trying to make friends with him to figure out what he's up to. Why don't you take Chuck up to your room and I'll stay here in case Laura needs a hand."

"No way," Casey said firmly. "The last thing we can afford is for them to see you two together. They think that you hate each other, remember?"

"What do you want to do?" Sarah asked in a frustrated hiss.

Casey thought for a second. "Get a cab and take Chuck to the FBI office," he said. "That will be the safest place in the city. It's only a five minute cab ride. I'll stay down here and keep an eye on Laura and her new boyfriend."

"Chuck," Sarah said softly. "I need you to look carefully at every person that you can see. Tell me if you flash on anyone."

"I've already been doing that," Chuck said with a smile. "Nothing so far."

"Okay let's go," Sarah said as she gently grabbed Chuck's arm and led him towards the lobby. Chuck's response caused Sarah to stop in her tracks. She was so surprised that she had to ask Chuck to repeat himself. The second time she heard it was no less traumatic.

"It looks like I'm finally going to get to meet this Seth."

x-x-x-x-x


	23. The Wedding Night

_This is not an original story. It was written during the middle of season 2. The original story assumed a sequel that never happened. So there will be some brand new content in this rewrite and several new chapters at the end._

_The first part of this chapter is pretty much like it was from the original. The second half is totally new. It didn't happen at all in the original story. It was planned more for the sequel. The title of the chapter is probably pretty self explanatory, but this seems like the right place for it._

_I still don't own Chuck._

_If you enjoyed this or any of the stories on this site, please take a second and send the author a review. It only takes a second – and it really, really makes a difference. That's probably more important than ever now that the series has ended. If you want to keep the Chuck fandom alive and continue to read about these characters, you really need to think about rewarding the people whose hard work make that possible._

**The Wedding Night**

x-x-x-x-x

Casey quickly found a slot machine that gave him a clear view of the bar. He could see Laura standing a few yards away with her back seemingly turned to the bar.

Laura waited patiently until the Fulcrum agent was getting up from his seat. While his back was turned she quickly walked up behind him. When the agent turned to leave he ran smack into Laura. Laura pretended to fall backwards and grabbed the man's shirt to steady herself. The agent's arms instinctively went around Laura to keep her from falling. As their chests came together, Laura made sure that her blouse opened by the friction of his shirt afforded him a very clear view. An opportunity that she quickly noticed he was taking full advantage of. Putting on her most dazzling smile Laura finally spoke.

"I'm so sorry. Are you okay?" Laura cooed as she batted her eyes innocently. The look she got back from the Fulcrum agent instantly told her everything that she needed to know. She now had a date for the evening, or for as long as she wanted one anyway. "I'm so clumsy. Can I buy you a drink to make it up to you?"

Casey, who was watching the whole scene as a not-so-innocent bystander, just had to smile. He almost felt sorry for this poor Fulcrum agent. Men were simply defenseless against such a weapon… and she knew it. Casey was certainly used to being witness as a beautiful agent worked a mark. But he had to admit this was different. He had never seen anything close to Laura Carter before. She was perhaps the most beautiful woman in the world. His job was easy. All he had to do was sit there, enjoy the view, and wait while Agent Carter worked her magic. He just hoped he wouldn't run out of cash to feed the slot machine before Laura had the poor guy singing like a canary.

x-x-x-x-x

As soon as the cab pulled away from the hotel Sarah sided into Chuck. "I understand that you want to meet him," she said in a pleading tone. "I guess it wouldn't be fair of me to deny you that. He's caused you a fair amount of pain. But sweetie, please don't start anything with him."

"Why not?" Chuck asked calmly. "I've been wanting to know how he knows what you can do with a tennis ball. And why he feels free to share his knowledge with every man he speaks too."

"Sweetie, please," Sarah said as she buried her face into Chuck's neck. "I know that I ask a lot of you but I'm asking you. Please don't start anything tonight. Will you please do that for me?"

"Sarah," Chuck said softly as he rubbed her arm. "What's really going on here? You're shaking. Why don't you want me to meet this man?"

"Honestly?" Sarah asked. As she pulled back to look into Chuck's eyes he could notice the tears she was trying to blink away.

"Of course," Chuck said. "You know that you can tell me anything. I know that you don't still have feelings for him."

"Of course not, silly," Sarah said as a smile quickly came to her face. "I can't stand him. You know that. The truth is that I'm embarrassed. That's why I don't want you to meet him. You're going to be asking yourself how I could have possibly married this guy."

"Why did you?"

"I don't know," Sarah said sadly as she looked to the floor. "That's why I'm embarrassed. But there is another reason."

"Okay," Chuck said. "Tell me."

"You're not going to like him," Sarah said softly. "I mean, duh, right? But trust me on this. You're really, really not going to like him. I would be disappointed in you if you did. And while Seth may be the worst agent on the planet, he is still an agent, has all of the training. So if you try and fight him…"

"I'll get my ass kicked," Chuck finished her uneasy statement. "That's what you're saying. You would never allow that to happen, right?"

"Of course not," Sarah said. "You know that. But I'm also trying to be sensitive. Do you really want me…"

Chuck just laughed at her uneasiness. "I'm not one of those macho guys you're used to being around," he said, still laughing. "I try and settle things with my wits instead of my fists. But if it does come to that…"

"I love watching you go bad-ass on someone in my defense."

x-x-x-x-x

Casey could see Laura and the Fulcrum agent sitting at a table just off the bar. Laura was obviously laughing at something he said. As she laughed, Casey saw her hand casually come to rest on the agent's knee. As Laura leaned forward to casually embrace him, she motioned to Casey behind his back to come to her. Casey quickly cashed out his slot machine and cautiously began to walk towards them.

When Casey was about ten feet away, Laura pretended to notice him. "Jim, there you are," she said loudly as she got up to take Casey's hand and led him to the table. "Andy," she said in an excited voice. "I'd like you to meet my husband, Jim. Jim, this is my new friend Andy."

Casey had to work to keep from breaking down laughing at the look of disappointment in the agent's face. Instead he forced a smile on his own face. "Nice to meet you Andy," he said as he extended his hand warmly. "Has she been talking your ear off? She gets like that when she's drinking."

"I did not," Laura said with a pout as she put her hand on the agent's shoulder. "Tell him, Andy."

"No," the agent replied as he stood up to leave. "She's been great. But I have to get going. I'm running late for a meeting."

"Oh Andy," Laura said with another pout as she grabbed his hand. "Please don't rush off. We were having such a good time. Tell Jim the story about your blind date. That was a scream."

"I'm sorry," the agent replied hastily as he nodded to Casey. "I'm supposed to meet some other people and I'm late. It was really nice to meet you both."

At that, the agent made a hasty retreat. Casey waited until he was out of sight before he started laughing. He didn't have long to wait as the agent quickly moved to the exit without a backwards glance.

"That was just pain cruel," Casey said as he laughed. "I actually thought he was going to cry."

Laura leaned in to rest her head on his shoulder and joined his laughing. "He really thought he was on the fast path to getting lucky tonight," Laura said. "Didn't he?"

"What did you find out?" Casey asked while he was still laughing. "Other than the obvious, I mean."

"I don't think he knows anything about us," Laura said softly with a smile. "He has a major hard on for one of the cocktail waitresses here. But by the look on her face when she was leaving, I think he just took a major step backwards towards getting her on her back anytime soon."

"So," Casey said. "He had a bad night all the way around."

"Very bad," said Laura as she stood up. "Speaking of bad times, let's get going. Did Sarah take Chuck downtown? If so, I think we need to rescue Sarah from Chuck and Seth."

Casey thought about it for a while. "Let's give them a minute," he said as he motioned to the bartender for a drink. "Let's have a drink."

Casey could see the question in Laura's eyes as she hesitantly sat back down.

"Chuck's had a bad week," Casey explained. "And once you get past the wanting to kill him for being so annoying part, he's actually a pretty good kid. He deserves his shot at Seth. Don't you think?"

Laura's confused look turned into a soft smile. "You care for him," she said. "That's sweet."

"I don't care for him," Casey immediately protested. "That was all bullshit. Maybe I'm just looking for an excuse to spend some time with the most beautiful woman in the world."

Laura's smile turned into a grin. "That was sweet too," she said.

They sat there silently for a long while, just enjoying the scene and sipping their drink. Finally Laura turned to him. "Can I ask you a personal question?" she asked.

"Of course," Casey replied.

"The other day," Laura began. "You knew that I was coming and why, right?"

Casey nodded with a grin.

Laura thought back to her evening with Peter West. "So why did you spend so much energy making sure that I had a good time?" she asked. "Trust me on this. Most men in that situation would have used their advantage, made it a game to see how far I'd go in degrading myself."

Casey's grin broadened. "In case you haven't already figured it out, I'm not most men," he said. But then he got a bit more serious. "I don't know," he said thoughtfully. "I guess I liked you. You ladies are asked to make ridiculous personal sacrifices. Maybe I felt that you should get something out of it for once. And the honest truth is that I had a great time seeing you moan and knowing that it wasn't fake. Even when I knew you were just playing a mark and probably were my enemy, I could see something more. Maybe I was hoping for another chance."

Laura did a double take. John Casey certainly wasn't most men. She could see the surprise in his eyes when she leaned in and kissed him. He maybe was a little surprised by the intensity, but it only took a moment for him to fully participate.

"We need to remember this conversation," Laura whispered as soon as the hot, very wet kiss broke.

"Let's see if I can accommodate you."

x-x-x-x-x

Chuck tentatively held out his hand to the man that Sarah had just introduced him to. Seth yawned for a long moment before he finally took Chuck's hand. "Finally," he said as a smile came to his face. "I get to meet the man who is fucking my wife."

Chuck could see Sarah visibly wince as she was standing behind Seth.

"Congratulations," Seth said warmly.

"Congratulations?" Chuck repeated in a confused tone.

"For bagging such a hottie," Seth said with a laugh as he turned to Sarah. "I mean, come on Chuck. Look at her. Tell me that you know of any man who wouldn't want to hit that. And we both know," Seth turned back to Chuck with a wink. "How very good she is. Right, Chuck?"

Chuck pushed down his natural reaction to be angry. The real pathetic thing was that Seth was actually trying to be friendly in the only way he knew how. Chuck looked past him to look at Sarah. He could see the pleading in her eyes. "Please," she mouthed silently to him.

Fortunately Chuck had actually found out everything he needed to know anyway. Now he understood why she was so embarrassed. Trying to control his anger best he could, he smiled at Sarah to reassure her as he turned to Seth and stuck out his hand. "It was nice to meet you," he said. Then he reached out his arm to Sarah who quickly sided into him. "I think we're done here," he said. "You were right about me really not liking him. Let's go. Suddenly I feel like taking a shower."

"Let's go get married."

x-x-x-x-x

Chuck and Sarah weren't at the FBI offices for very long at all before Laura called and gave them the all clear. So they were in the cab on the way back to the hotel. Sarah was cuddled contentedly into his side as they approached the lights of the strip… and its associated perpetual traffic jam. "Thank you, sweetie," she whispered as she kissed his neck. "You were perfect."

But she was surprised by his response. "I was hardly perfect," he said. "In fact, I have a confession to make. I wouldn't feel right getting married tonight without admitting something to you."

Sarah heard the sadness in his voice and lifted her head in semi-alarm. "Okay," she said tentatively. "I'm listening."

"I think that you're the most beautiful woman in the world," Chuck began. "That's not hyperbole or me trying to butter you up. I honestly believe it. You just are."

Off Sarah's bemused look, he quickly continued. "No, that's not the confession," he said. "Look, Seth Roberts is a pig, no argument there. I'll bet there have been tons of pigs in your past, all trying to get you into bed. But the honest truth is I'm just as bad. When you walked into the Buy More that first day, I was looking into the eyes of this incredible babe. I was picturing you naked before you said your first word to me. And for the first few days all I could think about was how great it would be if I could ever get you in bed."

"You never tried anything," Sarah protested meekly.

"Just because I knew it wouldn't go well," Chuck replied. "But trust me. If you had given me any indication that I wouldn't be feeling your foot upside my head, it would have been different. Seth Roberts hasn't ever had a single though about you that I haven't also had. It's just that he is a lot more bold about expressing them. I'm just as big of a pig. And I'm ashamed about that. So I want to apologize. And I also want to make sure that you know that I love you. I love the person, not the sex object. You are simply amazing in every way that one can imagine. You deserve a husband who worships you, all of you. And that's what you're going to get. I'll prove that to you every single day for the rest of my life. I promise."

Sarah had to take a long moment to gather her composure. To her credit she realized that he wasn't kidding, even though his 'confession' sounded remarkably silly. "You're not a pig, sweetie," she said. "Please stop feeling guilty about it. You just proved it. Pigs never apologize for being pigs… almost by definition. You're apologizing for being a normal man. It's like apologizing for breathing. You've never treated me with anything but total respect, never once. In fact I keep trying to get you to treat me like a sex object sometimes just for fun and you won't do it. So I have a confession of my own."

Now it was Chuck's turn to display the bemused look.

"I underestimated you at first too," Sarah said. "That first day at the Buy More when you say that you were picturing me naked, falling in love was the farthest thing from my mind. I was standing there thinking how easy this assignment would be. I mean you were this bashful guy who worked in a fucking Buy More. It bordered on pathetic. I was going to devour you like a hungry lion would a wounded gazelle. But then I saw you help that little girl recreate her recital, and something just clicked. I knew in that instant that I couldn't drag you back to my hotel that night and fuck you into submission like I'd planned. Not only wouldn't it have worked, I didn't want to do that to you. I found that I wanted to get to know you. And once I did over the next few weeks I quickly found that you were the nicest, sweetest man in the world. And the guy I originally thought to be borderline pathetic turned out to be amazing, almost too good to be true. He was the bravest man I'd ever met, a true genius who could always make me laugh, the biggest hero I'd ever heard of, the only man I'd ever known who I wanted to grow old with, made be want to be a better person, one who I prayed that someday I'd be worthy of having his babies. Just like you, that's not hyperbole or me trying to butter you up. I honestly believe it. You just are. And you deserve a wife who worships you for what you are, one who wants you to be happy, and one who puts you ahead of everything else in her life. Chuck, that's what you're going to get. And I'm going to spend every day for the rest of my life proving that to you. That's my promise."

As soon as the long loving kiss broke, Chuck smiled. "Don't get me wrong," he said. "I'll admit that I enjoy the fact that you're the most beautiful woman in the world. I don't want to try and deny that."

Sarah shared his grin. "Duly noted," she said. "That's a good thing, right? For what it's worth, I think you're being incredibly sweet. Trust me. I think you're going to discover that I'm not above using the fact that you find me attractive. And I honestly enjoy that you're still a little bashful with me. I simply love seeing you blush. I'm going to enjoy the coming years thinking of new ways to make that happen."

x-x-x-x-x

The newly pronounced Mrs. Sarah Bartowski sat with her now sister-in-law sharing a quiet moment. Well, as quiet as a clearly tipsy Ellie Bartowski could possibly be in a raucous Vegas club minutes after witnessing her only brother sharing lifelong vows with her best friend. So, come to think about it, it wasn't all that quiet.

The ceremony itself was pure Vegas, short and to the point. But that didn't matter. It was formality anyway. Sarah was glad it was short. Because now it was time for the celebration.

Devon and Casey had been dispatched to round up, well another round. Surprisingly they had hit it off and were well on the way to becoming buds. An odd couple no doubt. Perhaps the friendship was aided by the fact they discovered they shared a favorite drink, a particular label of single malt Scotch. It also probably didn't hurt that each had tipped back several double shots of said Scotch. Their current impromptu plot, which neither was trying all that hard to hide, was to get the groom as drunk as they were. They giggled like schoolgirls at the prospect that the wedding night might not be the once in a lifetime experience that Chuck and Sarah were hoping for. And as plots go, this one seemed to be off to a good start. But it was all in good fun. The new groom was dancing… with Laura if you can believe it.

Sarah reached over and grabbed her new sister's arm. "Thank you for coming," she said, shouting to be heard over the music. "I'm sorry about the short notice. I can't imagine what you had to go through to make it here in time. It meant a lot to both of us for you to be here."

Ellie technically was sitting at the table. But for all intents and purposes, she was dancing, keeping time with the music, her dark hair flying as she moved beautifully to the beat. "Are you kidding?" she asked. "Like I would miss this? As soon as you called, Devon called and covered for us at the hospital. It was only a three hour drive. You two are the most perfect for each other that I've ever heard of. It's a freaking fairy tale. It's so romantic that I could cry. Except that I'm too fucking happy to cry."

"Are you having a good time?" Sarah shouted with a laugh. The question was clearly rhetorical. She had never seen Ellie look this relaxed as she bounced to the beat, totally uninhibited. In fact she was downright sexy.

"I'm having a great time," Ellie shouted back after she had licked the salt from her hand and tipped back the shot of tequila that Casey had just handed her. She slammed the shot glass face down on the table defiantly with a silly grin. Somehow she forgot about the slice of lemon. It didn't seem to matter. "Tell me about this Laura. She's gorgeous. Is she as wild as Carina?"

Sarah laughed. "Not quite," she said. "Look at her. She's still mostly dressed. Carina wouldn't be. But she's close."

"Good," Ellie said. "I need to get her to tell me some stories of a spy in action. Something tells me that you have been holding out on me."

"No problem there," Sarah said as she continued to laugh. "She loves to talk about the details of her seduction missions. She might actually tell you more than you want to hear."

"Get her to tell you about last night."

x-x-x-x-x

Normally when there was an opportunity to dance one would have a hard time dragging Sarah Walker, oops, Sarah Bartowski off the floor.

Not tonight.

She quickly discovered that she was on such a high that dancing actually wasn't as much fun as sitting there and just enjoying the feeling of being married to her soul mate. Okay, so technically she had been single for a grand total of about ten hours. But it simply wasn't the same.

Ellie had just dragged the groom onto the dance floor. Devon had dragged his new friend off to show him his newly invented sure fire way to win at Blackjack. Not that Casey needed much convincing. Wedding receptions were not high on his list of favorite activities anyway.

So that left her alone with Laura. It was normally hard to tell when she had been drinking. Like most spies, she could really hold her liquor. Tonight was a notable exception as she was starting to clearly slur her words. Sarah had naturally seen Laura pretty drunk more than a couple of times. So it was no surprise when she found herself wrapped in a bear hug.

"He doesn't love me," Laura sighed sadly.

"Seth?" Sarah asked. Seth Roberts was possibly the last thing that Sarah wanted to talk about, tonight especially. But Laura was her friend… and she clearly needed to talk.

Laura nodded with a sad smile. "He would have never stuck up for me like Chuck did for you with that Bryce Larkin guy."

Suddenly Sarah was interested. "Huh?" she asked.

"I really don't love him either," Laura sighed, seemingly oblivious to Sarah's curiosity. "Not like that anyway. Not like you and Chuck. I've never seen of anything like it. It's almost sickening."

"What happened with Bryce?" Sarah asked, this time a little more pointedly.

Laura's sad smile turned a tad sinister. "You were really with that obnoxious pretty boy?" she asked with a short giggle.

Sarah's face turned noticeably red. "He was a great partner," she protested. "You'd love working with him. The other stuff? That was a mistake. It was all I thought I could hope for at the time."

Laura took full note of the blush in her friend's face. "You were always lousy at picking men," she teased. "Something must have turned that around. What was it? What did Chuck do to get the mighty Agent Walker to fall for him?"

Sarah thought about the question for a while. "The sneaky bastard tricked me," she finally said in faux disgust. "He kept hanging in there, putting up with all the crap I was throwing at him, until I was finally forced to face the truth. He loved me… for me. I could trust him. It wasn't a smooth act to get me into bed. He was honestly the nicest man in the world. Trust me on something. I fought falling in love with him with every fiber. I made us both miserable for a long time. I just couldn't do it."

Laura's grin turned even more sinister. "What kind of crap did you throw at him?" she asked with a confident tone. "I think I can guess. It sounds like you like to fuck your partners. Tell me the truth. Have you ever fucked Casey?"

That was the very last thing that Sarah expected her to say. "What!" she exclaimed in horror, the thoughts of curiosity over what might have happened with Chuck and Bryce this morning totally driven from her brain. "No way in hell. Don't take this the wrong way. Casey is a good guy and everything, a lot better in person than his reputation… but eww."

"You're really missing out," Laura said, suddenly enjoying her sport. "To tell the truth I wasn't looking forward to it either. But I was more than pleasantly surprised. The man really knows what he's doing in bed. I would encourage you to give him a try." Then she turned to the dance floor where Chuck was smiling and waiving at them. The glow on her friend's face said everything. All she could do was be happy for her. "But I guess you're a one man woman now."

"I always was," Sarah said as she matched Chuck's smile and waived back.

"It just took me some time to find the man."

x-x-x-x-x


	24. The Pig

_This is not an original story. It was written during the middle of season 2. The original story assumed a sequel that never happened. So there will be some brand new content in this rewrite and several new chapters at the end._

_This was my favorite chapter from the original story. So those of you who read it, well, you likely know the surprise. But there still are a few wrinkles this time around that might amuse you._

_I still don't own Chuck. I guess I do own Seth. Lucky me._

_You may have noticed that this chapter wasn't posted Monday. I'm currently working on two stories, this one and The Long Road Home with BrickRoad16 under the BillAndBrick screen name. To make a long story short, we decided to take our time on LRH and do it right. That means posting every other week. So it makes sense to also take my time and post chapters of this story on the off weeks._

_If you enjoyed this or any of the stories on this site, please take a second and send the author a review. It only takes a second – and it really, really makes a difference. That's probably more important than ever now that the series has ended. If you want to keep the Chuck fandom alive and continue to read about these characters, you really need to think about rewarding the people whose hard work make that possible._

**The Pig**

x-x-x-x-x

Chuck and Sarah celebrated their wedding by sleeping in until almost noon. Well, they stayed in bed until almost noon anyway. Then it was up for a brunch to say goodbye and see Ellie and Devon off back to work. Ellie was probably not going to have the most enjoyable shift in the E.R. that night. She was still pretty hung over from all the celebrating last night. Ellie and Laura spent most of the night together telling each other stories. That's as much as Sarah wanted to know.

The mission planning video conference at the FBI office had been short and sweet. Beckman was clearly trying her best to make nice with Sarah. And Sarah was just as clearly having no part of it. It was decided there would be no attempt to capture or kill any of the Elders tonight. The goal would be just to identify them so they could be dealt with individually later. Naturally that's where the intersect came in.

Beckman had gotten Chuck and Casey jobs with the catering company that was providing the food and beverages. That allowed Sarah to crack under her breath, "at least she's good for something." Sarah was clearly still not at all pleased with the General.

Sarah and Laura's assignment was simple, disgusting… but simple. They were to wander the various rooms making flirty conversation with as many men as possible and lead them past Chuck for a glass of champagne. But of course, far more important to tonight's objective, was for him to get a good look at their face. The girls could wear wires, but earpieces was deemed to be far too risky. Once Chuck had identified all six Elders, the mission was over. The Elders would be picked up by other teams over the next few days after they went back home. That way, nobody could put two and two together and tie anything to the team.

Casey would stay by Chuck for protection. At the first sign that anything was amiss, he was to get Chuck out of there, by any means necessary. Since the girls wouldn't be able to hear anything, once they saw that Chuck was gone, that was to be their cue that the mission had ended and to get out as gracefully… and as unmolested as possible.

Naturally Laura and Sarah were dressed to the nines. And just as naturally both were incredibly beautiful women. Reasonable men might honestly normally disagree over which was more beautiful… but not tonight. The new Sarah Bartowski was positively radiant, even Casey noticed. And if Peter West liked lots of cleavage, well tonight was going to be his lucky night, until Sarah killed him anyway. Both dresses displayed more than a little of each lady's more than ample assets. In fact if Laura made any sudden movement, she was going to come close to putting on an exhibition.

Chuck and Sarah were in a private room waiting for the time to leave for the party. Since this was their first full day of being married, it was natural to want to be affectionate. Sarah in particular wanted to make sure that Chuck knew how grateful and proud she was of him for allowing her to participate. And Sarah had a clear favorite way to express appreciation to Chuck. In fact they had just gotten down to the point of the serious necking which was Sarah's phase one when Casey's voice crackled over Chuck's earpiece.

"You do realize," Casey growled sarcastically. "Being a genius and all. That you are both wearing wires. I'm listening to every sound that you make. Are you really trying to make me nauseous before an important mission? That hardly seems prudent."

"Come on Casey," Chuck said with a smile as he acknowledged the growing smirk on Sarah's face. "Surely you've been subjected to more vigorous torture than this before."

Chuck currently was grateful that Sarah wasn't wearing an earpiece. At least she wouldn't be subjected to Casey's profanity filled response. Not that she hadn't heard it all before. But Casey could curse with the best of them. Laura wasn't far behind.

"Laura and I are leaving now," Casey finally ended his tirade. "Give us twenty minutes and then you can leave. That way we won't show up at the same time."

"Tell Sarah," Laura's voice interjected. "That as soon as I get there I'll find West and implement your post party plan."

"We have twenty minutes," Chuck said to Sarah as he looked at his watch. "Laura wants you to know that she is going to talk to Peter West as soon as she gets there. Oh, and Casey wants us to know that he doesn't appreciate our pillow talk."

"I'll see if I can be a little quieter," Sarah said with a grin as she kissed Chuck gently. Naturally, she had no intention of being quieter. In fact a little payback for his failed attempt to get Chuck drunk last night would clearly be in order. Devon would be dealt with later.

Quickly the intensity of the kissing increased until they were really going at it. It wasn't very long at all before Sarah could feel Chuck's hand slide into her top. That was all part of Sarah's appreciation plan, phase two as it were. "Are you looking for the wire?" she asked with a smile as her eyes sparkled. "It was a nice try but you're really not all that close. Trust me. You've stumbled upon the first place that this crowd would look. You should probably keep looking."

"Maybe," Chuck said with a grin of his own. "But that dress is just screaming for someone to put his hand inside. I figured I might as well get it over with. That way the other guys won't feel like trying for a first. Maybe I'm just trying to prove to you that I can be a pig."

Sarah ignored his barb. Unfortunately, he was probably right. With this crowd, the sight of her mostly bare chest would be too big of a temptation. She would have to stay alert to make sure it didn't happen. But there was no sense worrying her newlywed husband. She was an expert at avoiding unwanted men's hands. "You're not a pig, sweetie," she said softly with a grin after another long kiss broke. "You're just trying to build up my self esteem before an important mission. Thank you for that."

"Wow," said Chuck with a short laugh. "This getting married thing was genius. I really can't do anything wrong with you tonight, can I?"

"One thing that you could do," Sarah said. "Would be to put yourself in danger tonight. Our deal is still in full force. I expect you to follow Casey's orders on this mission just like you would mine. I also want to make myself perfectly clear. I love you more than I ever thought I was even capable of. But if you do any of those brave yet foolish things you're known for tonight your nice and sunny honeymoon is quickly going to become uncommonly cold and rainy."

x-x-x-x-x

"Okay," Casey said as he drove Laura's limo to the party site. "Let's go over this one last time. Chuck will be behind the bar pouring champagne. You and Sarah will try and drag as many men over to him as possible. If Chuck flashes, he'll relay the information to me."

"What does a flash look like?" Laura said curiously.

"It's hard to describe," Casey said with a sarcastic laugh. "It's sort of like someone trying to hold in a sneeze."

"Will he be conspicuous?" Laura said. "Should I do something to distract the mark's attention?"

"No," Casey said calmly. "Bartowski has gotten pretty good at hiding his flashes. But remember, Chuck's safety is our top priority. At the first sign of trouble, I'm getting him out of there. If you see him missing, that means either we've aborted or we've identified all six Elders. Get out of there as safely as you can and we'll meet back up at headquarters."

"Sounds like a plan," Laura smiled at Casey through the rear view mirror. "Don't worry about me. I could do this in my sleep. Speaking of sleeping, how about tonight you and I don't get any? It's not fair that Sarah gets all of the rock hard type action. You and I still do have something of a mountain to climb."

Laura could see the blush in his face in the mirror, even in the dark car, especially given that Chuck was almost certainly listening. For once he hoped that Chuck and Sarah were going for it. Fortunately Sarah was making absolutely no effort to hide what she was doing. In fact she was describing appreciation plan phase three in rather vivid detail, clearly just to torture him. Even if she wasn't, the distinctive sound of the zipper being tugged open and the moans he was trying to keep quiet left little to imagination. Hopefully Sarah was suitably distracting her new husband. Otherwise Laura had just assured that he would surely be treated to an incessant night of his barbs. When the limo arrived at the ballroom, he pulled right up to the front door. He quickly got out of the car and walked to open the door for Laura, shooing away the valet with an intimidating look.

"Good luck," Casey whispered to Laura as he extended his hand to help her out of the car."

Laura kept her gaze directed at the ballroom entrance. Her lips never moved. But clearly through his earpiece Casey heard Laura's soft voice.

"I don't believe in luck."

x-x-x-x-x

As soon as Laura entered the ballroom she went looking for Peter West. She found him talking to the hotel coordinator about some last minute details for the party. Laura waited patiently until his conversation was over and then walked up to him with her most dazzling smile.

"Laura," West said with a smile of his own as he saw her approach. He made to attempt to hide the face that he was checking her out. "I'm so happy that you could make it."

"Thank you for inviting me, sir," Laura said as she reached in to kiss West's cheek. "I know that you're busy but do you think I could have just a minute in private?"

West quickly led Laura to a small private room. "What can I do for you?" he asked as soon as the door was closed.

"I'm sorry to bother you, sir," Laura said softly as she directed her most seductive smile his way. "But I just wanted to make sure that you know how eager I am to prove my value to you and the organization. I know that you have a thing for Sarah. And she's very pretty. I'm just hoping that you will give me a chance."

"You two are pretty competitive," West said with a grin. "Isn't that right?"

"Yes, sir. I hate that bitch."

"You are stunning in that dress," West said as he looked at Laura from head to toe.

"Thank you, sir," Laura said as she kept her smile. "I've been told that I'm not bad out of it as well. Last time our night ended far too early. I think I could make you very happy. Please give me a chance to prove it to you."

"Laura," West said with a smile as he opened the door to leave. "Of course you'll get a chance. How about tonight after the party I'll get a room at the Monte Carlo and you can meet me there just like last time. Say midnight?"

Laura didn't have to fight to keep the grin from her face. It suited the mood perfectly. She had made a conscious decision to stay away from Sarah and Beckman's feud. Sarah was her best friend, but Beckman had just done something very nice for her. But she had to admit, Beckman was right about something. Chuck had an uncanny ability to predict what this pig was going to do. "I'll be there," she said eagerly. "I'll see you then, sir. Thank you."

x-x-x-x-x

Chuck and Sarah took separate cabs to the party location. Chuck had his cab pull around to the service entrance. As soon as he paid the driver, he walked towards the entrance. "I sure hope nobody actually asks me to make a drink," he said, more to himself than anybody.

"You're pouring glasses of Champagne, moron," came Casey's instant reply. "How hard could it be? A trained chimp could do it."

"Well," said Chuck with a fake yawn. "It's a skill. Like anything else."

Sarah entered the ballroom about ten minutes after Laura left the conversation with Peter West. She immediately went looking for him herself. She found him standing near the bar with what looked to be a gin and tonic. As Sarah approached she forced her most seductive smile on her face. She was very grateful that her brand new husband wasn't yet on duty to have to witness this. It was enough that he had to hear it.

"Sarah," West said as she walked up. "You look simply ravishing. You look good enough to eat."

Sarah fought the wave of nausea at his disgusting come-on, especially since Chuck was listening to every word. "Thank you, sir," she said as she forced the blush up her neck. "Do you think I could have a word in private?"

"Of course," West said with a smile as he led her to the very same room that he had just been in with Laura ten minutes ago. "What's on your mind?"

"Well, sir," Sarah began shyly as she nervously licked her lips. "I wanted to ask you for a favor."

"Ask away," West said with a smile.

"I think that you know how ambitious I am," Sarah said softly. "I think that you and I… well, we have sort of a connection. And I know this wasn't part of our deal but I was hoping that you could point out a couple of the Elders to me tonight. It would really give me a leg up in impressing them."

"Wow, Sarah," West said with a grin. "I don't know. Their identities are supposed to be secret. You're asking an awful lot of me."

"I know," Sarah said as she put the sexy pout on her face that men simply had no defense against. "But I would be so grateful. I'm sure that I could find a way to pay you back."

"Okay," said West as he wrapped his hands around Sarah's waist and kissed her. "You're far too pretty to say no to. I only know two of them for sure myself. Here is what I'll do. When I introduce you to an Elder, I'll tell them that you're very excited to be here. That will be your tip off."

"Thank you, sir."

"I'll have a room at the Monte Carlo after the party," West said as he lowered his hands to Sarah's hips suggestively. "Let's say midnight?"

"I'll see you then," Sarah said happily. "Get ready for a night you'll always remember."

"And Sarah," West said as he opened the door. "I'll have a special surprise waiting for you. I'm sure that you'll like it."

It really wasn't a surprise. In fact it was predictable, so predicable that it was Chuck's trap. As soon as West left the room, Sarah spoke knowing that Chuck would be able to hear her. "Now see, sweetie," she said softly with a sad smile.

"That's a pig."

x-x-x-x-x

Chuck quickly found out that pouring champagne wasn't quite as easy as he had hoped. It really wasn't the pouring that was hard. It was getting the damn bottles open without shooting the cork across the room. More than once he caused his fellow tenders to scatter in terror. It was getting to be a long night. Sarah and Laura kept bringing man after man past him and he flashed on almost every one. It was a veritable treasure trove of Fulcrum scumbags. He had already identified five of the six Elders and countless other Fulcrum big shots. Not to mention that he had also identified about one hundred hands on his wife's ass.

"How can she stand there smiling?" Chuck asked Casey, knowing that he had no answer. "While all of these men are pawing her and making passes at her." All of which he could plainly hear over her wire. Chuck was getting a serious headache from all the flashing. He was tired of being on his feet. And he wanted to get Sarah out of there and continue their honeymoon. He was really looking forward to finding that last Elder so they could call it a night.

Chuck had heard Sarah get propositioned so many times in the past couple of hours that he was honestly beginning to tune it out. Sarah was sorta right. Even if she had been single and looking for action, none of them knew her. Trying to be smooth was exactly the wrong approach with Agent Walker. They were mostly pathetic. He was actually beginning to be more embarrassed for them than jealous of them. So it barely registered with him when he heard a voice ask Sarah if she would like to take a walk. Chuck quickly looked around the main room for her. He just caught a glimpse of her dress as she disappeared out of the room. He could still hear her breathing over the wire but there was no speaking.

Suddenly he heard Sarah's voice.

"What are you doing?" The alarm in her voice was evident.

The next sound was the unmistakable noise made when a handgun was racked.

"Well, hello, Agent Walker," a strange woman's voice said. "Just how stupid do you think that we are?"

x-x-x-x-x

Sarah quickly assessed the situation. She stood in a small room totally surrounded by four men and the one woman. All of the men held handguns. There was simply no way to fight her way out of this. But maybe she could talk her way out.

"Have a seat, Agent Walker," the woman said harshly.

Sarah tried to make the smile relaxed and confused. "I don't know what you mean," she said as she sat down in the chair indicated. "My name is Sarah Anderson."

Sarah didn't see the slap coming so it registered with full force.

"You must really think that we're stupid?" asked the unknown woman who was obviously in charge. "Do you really think that anyone in the Washington intelligence community wouldn't recognize the famous Sarah Walker?" The questions were clearly rhetorical.

The men quickly handcuffed Sarah's hands behind her back and secured them to the back of the chair. They then quickly used plastic ties to fasten her ankles and thighs to the legs of the chair. When they were finished, Sarah was totally secured and basically helpless.

"Agent Walker," the woman said. "I'm going to ask you once nicely. What are you doing here?"

This wasn't going well at all. But there was no reason to admit anything. "I don't know what you mean," Sarah said softly as she forced tears into her eyes. "My name is Sarah Anderson."

"Wrong answer," the woman growled as she slapped Sarah again.

Sarah was able to see the blow coming, so she turned her face away from it best she could. That helped a little, but still it packed a wallop. "Wow," Sarah said as soon as she could shake the cobwebs away and the stars she was seeing for a long moment faded. "For a woman, you really throw a mean punch."

"I took a class," the woman said with a smirk as she slapped Sarah again. "I'm going to ask you one more time before I let the men take over. What are you doing here?"

Sarah really had nothing to say, so she simply looked forward and refused to answer. Just then the door flew open. Casey was roughly shoved into the room. Since his hands were cuffed behind his back he had no way to stop his momentum except crash into the wall solidly. Behind him was a tall Fulcrum agent holding his gun pointed directly at Casey's back.

"Ms. Bowles," the Fulcrum agent said as he addressed the woman who was clearly in charge. "I see that you have captured Agent Walker. Here is her partner. His name is John Casey. We actually were tipped off they were here and have been following them for the past few days. They have been trying to learn the identities of the Fulcrum Elders at the party tonight."

The men quickly secured Casey in the same way that Sarah was. Casey had a mouse that was beginning to form under his right eye.

Bowles had never seen the agent before. That probably wasn't all that unusual. She didn't know most of the agents based in Vegas. But for him to know her name was proof that he was fairly high on the Vegas totem pole. "Do they have backup?" she asked.

"No ma'am," the Fulcrum agent replied. "I don't know if you have heard of these two but they are quite famous, especially Walker. Her nickname is The Enforcer. She's clearly arrogant enough to think they could come in here without backup."

"What was their mission?" Bowles asked. "I mean, besides identifying the Elders. Have they identified any? What were they going to do with the information?"

"We're not sure yet, ma'am," the Fulcrum agent replied. "We don't think they know any Elder's identities. We need to question them. But there is no reason to take any chances. For right now, I fear for your safety. If I could make a suggestion, why don't you let your guards escort you back to your hotel and I'll take care of these two."

"How can you handle these two by yourself?" Bowles asked. "Should I leave a man or two to help you?"

"Don't worry ma'am," he replied confidently. "Your safety is the highest priority. I have other people on site. They are currently securing the perimeter. They'll be here in just a few minutes. And besides I have an advantage."

With that the Fulcrum agent took out a gas powered hypodermic gun and pointed it at Casey's neck. Casey tried to resist but he couldn't move out of the way. Several seconds after he was injected, he was unconscious.

"He'll be out for a few hours, ma'am," the Fulcrum agent said with a laugh. "We really don't need him but I like to be thorough. We'll keep him alive for a day or so just as a backup. Agent Walker here is going to tell us everything we want to know before her untimely death. I hope you don't mind if I have a little fun while she's talking."

Bowles was clearly impressed with the confidence of the agent. "What sort of fun?" she asked with a grin.

The Fulcrum agent walked over to where Sarah was secured and showed her his hypodermic gun. "I have a special mixture for you," he said with a leer as he slid his hand into her top. "You're actually very pretty. I'll bet I'm not the first man to tell you that. Your reputation is that you're incredibly finicky when it comes to men. Either that or you're just a teasing bitch. That means I'm really going to enjoy this."

"You sick sonofabithch!" Sarah screamed as she tried to move away from the Fulcrum agents hand inside her top but she was simply too secured to do much about it. When she was unable to break free, she tried to bite his arm but she couldn't get close enough for even that small gesture.

The agent turned to Bowles as he continued to roughly massage Sarah's breast. "You see, ma'am," he began. "This is a special drug. The CIA was always wildly successful in training their female agents to use seduction as a weapon. Men are simply helpless against such an attack. Some would call them little more than trained whores."

Bowles smiled. "I've heard that," she said.

"They were always looking for a way to make their male agents just as effective," the agent continued. "They were getting very frustrated. No matter how much seduction training they gave their agents, it simply didn't work nearly as effectively on women. So they looked for a drug that could possibly even the score. They commissioned research to develop one that would make women as receptive to sex as men are naturally. What they came up with is called Neuorpol. In fact it was effective beyond their wildest hopes. It turns a woman… well, into an on fire helpless plaything who would fuck a chimpanzee if it would only put out the fire between her legs."

Bowles laughed. "A drug like that would be worth a fortune on the black market," she said. "Why haven't I heard of it?"

"There were several problems that kept the CIA from deploying it in the field," he replied calmly. "Currently they only use it for rare interrogation or torture purposes. First, it has to be injected. That alone made it impractical as a seduction tool. But more important are the side effects. It's ridiculously addictive, a thousand times more addictive than heroin. The effects last for a few hours. When it wears off, the subject would do literally anything to get the next dose. After about twenty doses or so, the heart just can't take it and the subject dies… but she doesn't care."

The agent put his face directly in Sarah's. "You know damn well that everything I just said is true," he said arrogantly, clearly mocking her. "Are you ready to become a fuck toy while you're thinking up new and ever more interesting secrets to tell me to get your next dose?"

Sarah couldn't hide the nervous, worried expression. She looked past the agent to Bowles. "Please, ma'am," she asked anxiously. "There has to be another way. Please don't let him do this. There are some things that I could tell you. I'm appealing to you as a woman. Can't we work something out?"

Bowles just laughed at her. "I wish I could stay and watch this," she said. "Agent Sarah Walker begging to be fucked to death. That seems poetic justice to me. Unfortunately I have to get back tonight." She turned to the agent. "Are you sure that this is going to work?"

The agent took his hand out of Sarah's top, pressed the narcotic gun into Sarah's neck and pulled the trigger. The gun made its classic hissing sound. "I'm sure, ma'am," he replied confidently. "Let me show you something before you leave. I think you'll enjoy it."

After only a few seconds, Sarah's eyes were already closed and her head slumped, almost as if she were unconscious.

"The drug has already begun to take effect," the agent said with a smirk. He reached down, found the slit in Sarah's gown, and ran his hand slowly up her leg until it disappeared far up her dress.

At first Sarah tried to press her knees together as best she could to fight off his crude advance. But after struggling for only a moment or so she gave in, relaxed, and allowed his hand full access inside her panties. "You bastard," she whispered without opening her eyes as her breathing noticeably quickened. "You rotten bastard."

The agent turned to wink at Bowles as he continued his assault for a moment. "Tell me the truth, Agent Walker," he said calmly. "You seem to be enjoying this. Do you want me to stop?"

Sarah didn't respond for a long moment. And she still didn't open her eyes. But a single tear finally made its way down her cheek. Her single word answer, little more than a whisper, clearly signaled that the battle was now over and her surrender to the drug complete. She bit her lower lip as she now strained against her binds to grind herself into his fingers as best she could.

"No."

The Fulcrum Agent stood and turned to face Bowles. "See," he said. "She's already helpless. It will get far worse in a few minutes. She'll soon be begging me."

Bowles offered her hand. "Congratulations," she said. "This is brilliant."

"Thank you, ma'am," the agent replied, making no effort to let go of her hand. "I hope you don't think this is inappropriate. But I've always wanted to meet you. You're something of a hero of mine."

Bowles also made no attempt to reclaim her hand. "I don't think it's inappropriate at all," she said. "In fact, I think you're being wasted here in Vegas. How would you like to come to Washington and join my team? I know that Vegas is an exciting place to be stationed, but I think I can do wonders for your career. You're obviously on the fast path."

"Thank you, ma'am," he said, still holding her hand. "Vegas is nice. But I'd do almost anything to get a chance to work with you. I would greatly appreciate the opportunity. I won't let you down."

"I'm sure you won't," Bowles said. "You can come and meet me in Washington and brief me on what you found out from Agent Walker's… um… interrogation. Let's say three days. I'll make the arrangements tomorrow with Peter West. What's your name?"

"Yes, ma'am," he said with a grin. "I'll definitely see you in three days. I'm looking forward to it. My name is Agent Carmichael."

"Charles Carmichael."

"Not half as much as I am," Bowles said. Then she leaned forward and whispered something into his ear then stepped towards the door. "I'll see you in three days."

As soon as Bowles and her men left the room, Chuck knelt down beside Sarah and began to untie her.

"Who in the hell was that?" Casey asked as he waited for Chuck to get to him.

"That was Jennifer Bowles," Chuck said with a smile. "She was Laura's girlfriend the other night. She is a congresswoman from New Jersey. She is currently on the House Intelligence committee. That must be how she recognized Sarah. She is also the sixth Fulcrum Elder."

As soon as Chuck had Sarah free, she went to help him with Casey. In spite of the still tense situation, she couldn't keep the grin off her face. "Neuorpol?" she asked with a laugh. "Turns any woman into a helpless fuck toy? Really? Are we sure this isn't a fantasy suddenly coming to light? Now you're sounding more like Bryce."

"Wow, that one was a low blow," Chuck said with his own laugh. "You're going to pay for that, Mrs. Bartowski. You have to admit, it sounds like something that your CIA would invent. They seem a bit preoccupied with sex from where I'm standing. By the way, the single tear was a nice touch."

"You do understand that you're in serious trouble?" Sarah asked in mock anger. "I believe that I told you very plainly earlier that I did NOT want you to stop. You never listen to me on missions."

Chuck pulled Sarah in for a strong kiss. He was actually surprised that she allowed it given the circumstance. "I accomplished one thing," he said with his classic grin as soon as the kiss broke.

"I told you I could be a pig."

x-x-x-x-x


	25. Laura's Revenge

_This is not an original story. It was written during the middle of season 2. The original story assumed a sequel that never happened. So there will be some brand new content in this rewrite and several new chapters at the end._

_I still don't own Chuck._

_If you enjoyed this or any of the stories on this site, please take a second and send the author a review. It only takes a second – and it really, really makes a difference. That's probably more important than ever now that the series has ended. If you want to keep the Chuck fandom alive and continue to read about these characters, you really need to think about rewarding the people whose hard work make that possible._

**Laura's Revenge**

x-x-x-x-x

Laura was still at the party, working the room when she noticed that Chuck and Casey were missing from their station.

"It's about freaking time," she whispered to herself under her breath. After all, with the hundreds of fingerprints that she had accumulated on her ass tonight, six sets of them must surely belong to Elders.

Laura was barely listening to the conversation that she was currently having. She was too busy trying to plan her exit strategy. She couldn't just walk out. That would be far too conspicuous. Wherever she walked that night, at least twenty eyes followed her. Fortunately, the two men that made up her current suitors really weren't that interested in anything that she had to say anyway. They were far to busy trying to one up the other to impress her. The shy smile that she had permanently affixed to her face was plenty. The occasional nod only added to the allusion that she was remotely interested. And since the hand that had started at the middle of her back had gradually drifted south, Laura could tell who they thought the victor was going to be anyway. So whoever belonged to that hand, she thought she remembered that his name was Paul, was going to be her ticket out of there.

As soon as the other man admitted defeat and drifted away Laura moved closer to Paul. "I thought that he would never leave," she whispered seductively into his ear. "Would you like to get some air?"

Talk about a rhetorical question. Laura made sure that it was obvious to everyone that she was leaving with him… and of course he didn't mind at all when she looped her arm through his as they stepped towards the exit together. "So, Paul," she said softly as soon as they were outside. "How long have you been stationed in Vegas?"

"About two years," replied Paul. "It's really a nice city."

"I'm sure it is," Laura said with a smile. "Just like this party was nice. But I'm actually getting kind of tired being here. How about we do something? I'd invite you to my room but I have a roommate and she can get sort of cranky. Maybe you can take me home and tomorrow maybe show me around a little?"

"I'd love that," Paul said with a grin. "Except I have a roommate too."

Laura could tell by the way that he said roommate that he actually meant girlfriend. She had to bite her lip to keep from laughing.

"How about I get a room?" Paul said. "I have a friend who works at the MGM."

"I'll tell you what," Laura said as she put her arms around his neck. "You go get us a room. Leave me a note at the front desk. And I'll swing by and pick up something to wear that I'm sure you'll like. I'll meet you there in an hour."

"I'll order some champagne," Paul said with a smile as he kissed Laura goodbye. "I can't believe how lucky I am tonight."

Laura waited with a grin until Paul was out of sight. "Sorry, Paul," she said to the night air. "This is Vegas."

"Your luck can turn in a second."

x-x-x-x-x

Back at the FBI office Beckman couldn't keep the grin from her face as she listened to the smashing success of tonight's mission. Casey was doing most of the talking as he described the list of names they had harvested. But Beckman already knew all of that. The part that grabbed her interest was the details of Sarah's rescue.

"So," Laura interrupted. "Bowles is an Elder. We should have guessed that. Who else would get personal gifts from Alexi Volkoff?"

"Are we completely sure that she bought this?" Beckman asked skeptically. "She knows who Sarah is. She could cause big trouble if she suspects anything. And Alexi Volkoff… Dealing with him would actually be bigger than Fulcrum."

"We're sure ma'am," Casey replied confidently. "She was totally digging on the way Agent Carmichael here was flirting with her. I thought she might hand him her panties right there in the room."

Laura caught Casey's eye. They were both fighting the urge to laugh. "You flirted with her?" she asked. "Right in front of your brand new wife of one day? Chuck, that doesn't seem like you. Why would you do something like that?"

The blush was plain rising up Chuck's neck and into his face at her teasing. "I thought I was safe," he said sadly. "After what happened with you, I thought that she liked girls."

Any hope that Casey and Laura had of keeping a straight face in front of Beckman was now long gone. "You've never heard of a switch hitter?" Laura asked as soon as she could control her laughing.

Sarah turned to Chuck with her eyes narrowed. "Wait a minute," she said. "What did she whisper to you before she left?"

Chuck paused for a long moment. "She told me to leave the Neuorpol home," he finally admitted. "She said that I wouldn't need it… but to bring lots of condoms."

When Sarah glanced over, Casey and Laura were helplessly laughing so hard that they had to lean on each other to keep from falling."

"I'm sorry," Chuck said.

Of course Sarah wasn't mad at Chuck. In fact once she cooled down she would find it cute that he worried about it. But currently she was far too busy glaring at Casey and Laura to respond immediately. They were actually uncontrollably laughing in a mission debriefing. How unprofessional was that? Much, much, much worse, they were laughing at her husband's expense. They should have been treating him as a hero. Not only did his brilliant thinking save lives, including most assuredly all of theirs, he saved the mission. _And Beckman was the only one to get that? Really?_ Instead these two ingrates were standing here openly making fun of him? That was something that simply couldn't go un-avenged.

Fortunately the next voice was Beckman's. "Why on earth would you be sorry?" she asked. "It was brilliant thinking. Sarah was right. Making you an agent was a great idea. At least one of you is willing to do the right thing."

"This is something we can actually use."

x-x-x-x-x

Sarah was torn standing outside the door to Peter West's hotel room. A large part of her wanted to get this over as quickly as possible so she could get back to the hotel where Chuck was waiting for her. But she had to admit she was looking forward to seeing this West prick fall more than a little.

Beckman had decided they couldn't kill him. That was disappointing. A public body could possibly raise some suspicions at exactly the wrong time. And there probably was some information he could give them in questioning if he was properly motivated. Capturing him really wasn't a job for two agents. Either Sarah or Laura could have easily handled this all on her own. The easiest way would be just to tranq him. But Beckman vetoed that idea. She wasn't in a mood to take any chances and didn't want him to have a few seconds time to raise any commotion. She insisted that they use something else.

The only problem was that the more gradual acting drug in the droplets they were using took about fifteen minutes to take effect. So given this man's sexual aggressiveness, that approach undoubtedly meant fucking him at least once. Neither was in any sort of mood to do that, certainly not Sarah. Laura wouldn't have normally minded so much, except she already had big plans for tonight… and they really didn't include fucking Peter West. So after consulting with the expert they decided to have Laura show up first, slip the drug into his champagne, have Sarah show up a few minutes after Laura as he expected, and spend that fifteen minutes continuing their earlier argument from his office. Watching them argue would most undoubtedly entertain Peter West. He would be helpless long before he demanded that they… um, kiss and make up.

It was a good plan. Chuck always came up with the good plans. The problem was that this would be a great opportunity for Sarah to teach her 'friend' a lesson. She deserved some punishment her so overt teasing of Chuck at the debriefing, right? And Sarah knew the perfect way. Take her time and make Laura wonder if she was going to show up while making her fend off Peter West's wandering hands for a while. Childish and not exactly professional perhaps, but Laura would get the message. Casey's punishment would have to wait. So she killed some time by using the mirror hanging at the end of the hallway to make sure that her hair and makeup were perfect for a few minutes. Even though she already knew that they were.

Finally willing the silly smirk of her face, Sarah knocked on the door. When Peter West finally opened it, Sarah had to bite the inside of her lip to keep from laughing at the look of pure hatred that Laura was shooting her. If that was for their cover or she was expressing annoyance for Sarah's tardiness, she couldn't tell. What she could tell was that perhaps she had miscalculated the length of her delay. Laura's dress was draped over the side of the couch she was sitting on. She sat there in only her stockings and bright red thong, looking totally pissed off, making absolutely no attempt to cover herself.

"What is that bitch doing here?" Laura finally asked. The way that the word 'bitch' rolled off her tongue clearly said that she was on to Sarah's plan and she shot her a look of genuine disgust.

Sarah immediate put Chuck's plan into motion. "Peter," she said with a disappointed pout. "I thought it was just going to be us tonight. I've been looking forward to this so much."

"Ladies," West said calmly as he walked to the table and poured Sarah a glass of champagne. "I really think that the two of you need to make up. I think I know the sure fire way." He smiled at her as he handed her the glass. "You can just call me the peacemaker," he said as he raised and then drained his own glass of champagne.

Sarah ignored his disgusting thinly veiled suggestion and looked to where Laura was sitting. The plan called for Laura to start another tirade against her for killing Seth. Of course the plan also called for her to be fully dressed. But hey, shit happens, especially on missions. It wasn't until she looked into Laura's eyes that Sarah immediately knew that she had made a second serious miscalculation tonight.

"Okay," Laura said with a grin as she got up and walked over to where West and Sarah were standing. "I think I see what you really want here." She grabbed West by the hand and led him over to the couch and gently pushed him to sit. "Let me show you my guess."

Sarah could see the pure evil in the grin on Laura's face as she sauntered back over to her. Maybe she could appeal to her friend for mercy. "I really don't want to do this," she said.

No sale.

"No kidding," Laura said as her grin took a decidedly evil turn. "Me either. That's actually part of his turn on, watching us go at it knowing that neither of us wants to, isn't that right, Peter? Would you like me to take charge?"

West's grin was threatening to break his face. "Of course, Laura. You're in charge."

Laura turned back to Sarah. "It looks like your plans for tonight have changed," she said, her double meaning crystal clear. "We both owe Peter a lot. He put a lot on the line for us. Maybe it's time for a new experience or two. Surely you wouldn't deny this amazing man his biggest fantasy would you?" Once she had her arms around Sarah, she whispered so that only Sarah could hear.

"Payback is a bitch."

x-x-x-x-x

"You wanted to talk to me in private, ma'am?" Chuck asked as he sat at the desk in front of his computer where Beckman's image filled the screen.

"Yes, Chuck," Beckman said. "I appreciate your willingness to do this."

Chuck looked around the room anxiously. "I trust that we're both aware that I'm not going to hide anything from Sarah," he said. "She'll ask about every detail."

"I don't want you to hide anything from Sarah," Beckman said. "That's not why I asked to talk to you in private. In fact, I want you to speak to her on my behalf."

Chuck was too stunned to respond.

"Look," Beckman said. "I'm not going to apologize for the things that I said to her the other night. I was angry. But I still believe that she made a mistake. I still believe that you're making a mistake in not supporting her more." But then you couldn't mistake the smile. "My problem is that you're such an amazing team," she said. "Fulcrum might be eliminated as a threat by our victory tonight, but I still don't want to lose that. Even if I can't totally control you, the results speak for themselves."

Chuck was honestly impressed. "Thank you, ma'am," he said. "What is it exactly that you want me to say to Sarah?"

Now Beckman was making no attempt to hide the grin. "That we can work things out," she said. "I'm willing to compromise a little to keep my best team happy."

"Compromise?" Chuck said. "In what way?"

"I'm not sure," Beckman said. "That's something that we're going to have to negotiate. I understand your reluctance to have her perform certain assignments, even if I don't agree. I'm willing to make some concessions in that area. I would hope that you'd be willing make some concessions as well. We'd like you to consider taking a new version of the Intersect."

That was the very last thing that he expected her to say. "What sort of new version?" he asked warily.

"A very exciting one," Beckman said. "Intersect 2.0 will give you more than just information. It will give you physical skills. Chuck, it will make you the most powerful person in the world. Our original plan called for Agent Larkin to upload it. But our testing now says that you're a much better candidate."

"Wow," Chuck whispered. He took a deep breath and faced the camera. "I'll talk to Sarah about it," he said. "But I have to tell you, we want out of the spy life. We want to start a family, a normal family."

"I don't want you to make any decision now," Beckman said. "I understand that this is a lot to hit you with. Your country needs you, Chuck. Just promise me that you'll think about it. Talk to Sarah. I know that after you've honestly discussed it, you'll do the right thing. I think that the two of you, Colonel Casey, and I will need to sit down after you get back and have a frank talk about your new role and our future rules of engagement."

"Back?" Chuck asked. "Where are we going?"

"We need for the intersect to stay off the grid for a couple of weeks while we gather up the Fulcrum leadership," Beckman said. "As long as that's true, we might as well give you an honest honeymoon. Does Hawaii sound reasonable?"

Chuck didn't know what to say. "Yes, ma'am," he was finally able to get out.

"Be at the airport at midnight," she said as she moved to end the call. "We've spared no expense. Consider it a combination wedding present and reward for an amazing job well done."

x-x-x-x-x

Sarah was biting her lip to keep from laughing as Laura reached behind her, grabbed her ass suggestively with both hands, and pulled her even closer. She was also racking her brain trying to figure a way out of this. But short of blowing the assignment, she couldn't think of one. Laura had her trapped. Judging by the glint in her eyes, Laura knew it too.

"Tell me, Sarah," Laura mocked her. "Have you ever been with a woman before?" Without waiting for an answer, she continued. "I have. Just recently. It was… different. I'm sure you'll agree. But then again, the way I heard it, you haven't even been with very many men. Maybe you should loosen up a little. Get some new experiences. It actually might not be so horrible. Maybe you'll even enjoy it a little."

Sarah stood there passively as Laura mocked her. She didn't protest as Laura gently touched their lips together and then ghosted her hand over her left breast. She did tense up a little when she felt Laura reach behind her again and tug at the zipper of her dress.

Once she had it unzipped Laura took a step back and grinned evilly. Sarah urge to laugh was long gone. In fact she was afraid to move, even to breathe. The dress, that didn't hide all that much of her assets when it was fully zipped up, was now hanging loosely off her shoulders, dangerously close to exposing her entire chest. She had hoped that Laura wouldn't go quite this far. _She must really be pissed. This will be hard to explain to Chuck_. Sarah knew that one gentle tug would have her dress falling to the floor, leaving her in basically the same clothing state as Laura, wearing only the mostly invisible panties she had picked out to remove for Chuck's amusement later tonight and her stockings, which she would probably leave on later. Chuck liked that look on her.

Fortunately, West's head was already starting to droop as the drug clearly took over. "Trust me," Laura finally said with little humor in her voice as she stepped behind Sarah and zipped her dress back up. "If you hadn't just gotten married yesterday, this dress would be lying on that couch next to mine and you'd be currently learning the new skill that the Bowles bitch was so nice to teach me the other night. Do you think that Chuck would mind that? Maybe the story would turn him on." Again without waiting for an answer, she took a step back, looked directly into Sarah's eyes, and continued. "Tell me, Sarah. Do we understand each other?"

Sarah knew that Laura was exaggerating a little. But she was also far too relieved to do anything other than to totally acquiesce. "Yes, ma'am," she quickly said. "We do. It wouldn't turn him on."

"I know," Laura replied knowingly. "It would bother him way too much, horrify him even. Chuck is the only man I know who would be bothered by that story. When push comes to shove, it's the main reason I'm letting you off the hook. I like him. He's genuinely sweet, smart, and funny. I don't get to meet guys like that. He shouldn't have to be punished for your stupidity. Be honest with me, you like the fact that he would be bothered. It's really a big part of why you're so sickeningly head over heels, isn't it?"

Without waiting for an answer, Laura stepped over to a now helpless Peter West who was having trouble holding his head up. "Here's the deal," she said. "I'm afraid that your girl-on-girl fantasy is going to have to wait for a while… like forever."

West opened his mouth to protest, but couldn't get any words out. Sarah's kick into the middle of his chest was mostly symbolic. He was in the very last stage of consciousness and wasn't feeling much. But she needed to vent some frustration and what better way than to kick someone. And if she was going to kick someone, who better than Peter West? "Listen up, pig," she said. "You're a fucking traitor. That means we're enjoying this. You're under arrest. The only way out of this alive is to answer every question that they ask you."

When the soft knock came at the door, Sarah paused for a moment to allow Laura to get her dress back on before she opened it. The two CIA paramedics wheeled in a gurney and quickly strapped in a now completely unconscious West.

Laura turned to Sarah angrily as soon as the room was cleared. "Okay," she said. "Care to tell me why I had to get naked tonight? We had a plan. You were supposed to be here."

"I was pissed at you," Sarah finally admitted with a sigh. "You and Casey were making fun of Chuck in the debriefing. I thought his hands would maybe wander for a minute and you'd be busy pealing them off. I really didn't think he would get you out of your dress so quickly. I'm sorry about that. It was unprofessional."

But far from getting mad, that got Laura laughing. "Oh my God," she was finally able to get out. "Are you really so far gone that nobody can even tease him in your presence?"

"I guess so," Sarah sighed. "I've always been protective of him. Thank you for not taking off my dress and teaching me any new skills. That would have been hard for Chuck to hear about."

"I'm not letting you totally off the hook here," Laura said with a giggle. "I still owe you a suitable punishment." Then she got a lot more serious. "Tell me something," she said. "I mean, we go back a long way. You're my best friend in the world. You trust me again, right?"

"I guess," Sarah said tentatively. Then she realized how that sounded. So she nodded. "I'm sorry that sounded weak. I do."

"So remember who you're talking to. Tell me the honest truth, straight up, no bullshit. This is a whole lot more than just being protective of someone. Are you really this far gone? This happy?"

Sarah really didn't have to answer. The grin that took over her face said it better than any words could. "I really am," she said. "He's almost too good to be true."

Laura wrapped her arms around Sarah again.

"Then I'm happy for you."

x-x-x-x-x

As soon as the call with Chuck ended, Beckman turned to Bryce, who was sitting just out of view of the camera. "Are you sure that it needs to be Bartowski?" she asked wistfully?

"I'm afraid so ma'am," Bryce replied. "I wish that wasn't true just as much as you do… but it is."

"Do you think he'll do it?"

"No, ma'am," Bryce replied. "In fact I'm fairly sure that he won't agree… unless we convince him somehow."

"Can we talk to Agent Walker?" Beckman asked. "She could talk him into it."

"She'll never, ever try and talk him into that," Bryce replied. "She'd be a harder sell than Chuck. She's ridiculously protective of him. No, ma'am, I'm afraid that conversation wouldn't go very well. She isn't above shooting the messenger."

"We need this," Beckman said. "I don't have to remind you of the threats we face. This is a weapon we simply must have. What do you propose?"

"The only way he'll agree to do it is to protect Sarah," Bryce said. "She's his strength, but she's also his fatal weakness."

"We need this to happen," Beckman said sadly. "I have them on their own in Hawaii for you. Colonel Casey will be here with me and out of the picture. But using those particular tactics will be a little distasteful. You have a personal relationship with them. Are you going to be up to this?"

"Yes, ma'am," Bryce replied. "It is what's required."

"I hate doing this," Beckman said as she stood up signifying that the meeting had concluded. "I wish there was another way. Make damn sure that she doesn't suffer any permanent damage. I'm holding you personally accountable."

"Yes, ma'am," Bryce replied as he also stood and headed for the door. "I don't think it will come to that. I know Chuck. He won't be able to take watching her in trouble and be helpless to help her. He'll cave long before we have to do anything that drastic. I also know Sarah. She'll look back on this someday and realize it was the right thing. Besides, you're right."

"We need this."

x-x-x-x-x


	26. The Plane Truth

_This is not an original story. It was written during the middle of season 2. The original story assumed a sequel that never happened. So there will be some brand new content in this rewrite and several new chapters at the end._

_I still don't own Chuck._

_I want to say a few words about Bryce. I understand that he probably looks like a villain to most of you at this point. I hesitate to portray him as a villain, for multiple reasons._

_First it's too simple. Just because he is (or was) Chuck's rival for Sarah's affections, doesn't make him evil. From his perspective, Chuck stole his girl. If the show was called 'Bryce', we'd root for him and think that Chuck was the villain. His being jealous of Chuck or wanting Sarah back doesn't make him a villain._

_But more important, I don't think he was a villain on the show. What he was portrayed as is totally dedicated to his duty. He honestly cared for Chuck. He honestly cared even more for Sarah. But he was always willing to put his duty ahead of any personal feelings. We've seen several instances in the show where he put duty ahead of his relationships with Sarah and Chuck. In fact, that's one of the main differences between him and Chuck, one of the key characteristics of Chuck that Sarah's very attracted to._

_So Bryce is going to do some things that Chuck, Sarah or we are not going to like very much. Beckman is every bit as much to blame. But they're not really villains. In fact, they firmly believe they are doing the right thing. The villains in this story will be easy to pick out._

_Speaking of the story, we're done with any relationship angst. Even if it looks different for a moment or two, Chuck and Sarah are married, totally committed and secure in each other, and will be for the rest of their lives. So rest assured. Whatever fantasy Bryce comes up with is just that… fantasy._

_If you enjoyed this or any of the stories on this site, please take a second and send the author a review. It only takes a second – and it really, really makes a difference. That's probably more important than ever now that the series has ended. If you want to keep the Chuck fandom alive and continue to read about these characters, you really need to think about rewarding the people whose hard work make that possible._

**The Plane Truth**

x-x-x-x-x

Casey and Laura were on the tarmac seeing Chuck and Sarah off on their honeymoon. Beckman had sent her personal plane to fly them to Hawaii. It was clear that they were looking forward to Chuck and Sarah actually getting on the damn plane. They were just as clearly planning to have, maybe not a honeymoon of their own, but certainly a wild night, or maybe even two.

So Chuck was more than a little surprised when Laura grabbed his hand and wordlessly led him out of earshot.

"I just want you to know something," Laura said as soon as they stopped walking. "I'm glad that I got to know you a little. Thank you for giving me that chance. I know that wasn't easy for you. I'm looking forward to getting to know you better someday. You're not like any other man I've ever met. You haven't allowed the nasty darkness of this life to change who you are. It's actually very sexy. I can see what Sarah sees in you."

Chuck shrugged off the compliment. "You have nothing to thank me for," he said. "I'm glad that I got to know you too. You're not at all the person I assumed you were, the one I was prepared to hate. I'm grateful I was able to find that out. You're funny and fun to be around. This sort of sounds like we're saying a long goodbye."

"We are," Laura said. "At least for a while. You're going on your honeymoon. I have to get back to my assignment in Miami."

"How long will that take?"

"It's impossible to say," Laura said with a sigh. "Another month, maybe two before we're out of the fucking stage and into the shooting stage."

Laura didn't have to see the blush in his neck to know that it was there. "I hate the fucking stage," he finally said. "I think that you know that. I'm not trying to make you feel bad about it, but I really do. I hope that you'll stay safe."

Laura couldn't resist teasing him. "Don't worry about me," she said. "It's actually not all bad. The man can stay hard forever. It's the only thing he's good at, but he's very good at it. It'll be a shame to shoot him, almost."

Changing the mood, Laura grabbed both of Chuck's hands, forcing him to face her. "I know that I don't have to say this to you," she said softly. "But I'm going to anyway. She needs you to take care of her. In some ways, she's the toughest person I know. But in other ways, she's actually pretty fragile. She's finally willing to expose that fragile side of her to someone. That's really scary for her. I'm counting on you to protect her. Now, kiss me."

Chuck did a double take. "Kiss you?" he asked. "Why would I do that? My wife is standing right there watching us. And you're right. You don't have to say it."

Even in the dark, he could see the twinkle in her eyes. "Several reasons," she said. "First, I'm not going to see you for a while. What's wrong with a harmless kiss goodbye? I'm not asking for any second base action here. And that's probably a good thing as I fully realize that I'm never going to get anything like that from you anyway. Second, I'd like to use the opportunity to poke a little fun at Casey later tonight. I'm sure you can relate to that and will make every effort to give the man a goal to shoot for. But the main reason is that Sarah needs to be punished. I'll let her explain that to you in more detail but this is what we came up with. She keeps telling me how good of a kisser you are. Her punishment is that I get to find out myself. Don't worry. She knows all about this. She's maybe a little less than enthusiastic but she knows that she has it coming and wants to get it over with. She's not going to be mad at you."

"I'll tell you what," Chuck said. "I'll kiss you if you promise to take care of Casey. He's just as fragile in his own way as Sarah. I can see the way he looks at you. I'd hate to see him get hurt."

If Laura hadn't been impressed before, she sure as hell was now. Chuck was looking out for his team. That in itself wasn't so unusual. Most spies would do a lot to protect a partner's back. After all, that was part of the code of being a spy in the first place. But Chuck took that one step further. He had his partner's back emotionally. His partner was also his friend, even more than friend, his family. That made Chuck Bartowski… well, pretty much unique. So she took the opportunity to press her lips to his with maybe a little more gusto than she had originally planned. The kiss ended up being of much longer duration and a whole lot wetter than Chuck was anticipating or comfortable with. "You have a deal," she said with a soft grin when she finally released her strong grip and let him up for air.

Once they walked back Laura took a second to poke some good natured fun at Sarah. "You're right," she said with a laugh. "He's a very good kisser."

"Yes, he is," Sarah said with a grin towards her new husband. "I'm glad that you think so."

"I trust from now on, you'll take my word for it."

x-x-x-x-x

One thing was for sure. The Director of the NSA traveled in comfort. Her personal plane may have been, well, a little drab in the style department. After all it seemed all military vehicles had to be decorated using totally khaki green. Or maybe Beckman just liked khaki green. But whichever it was, once you got past the physical appearance the plane had every comfort that the most lavish civilian corporate jet could boast.

The flight attendant, a perky early twenty something year old corporal who actually made that uniform look kinda sexy, had a drink in their hands almost before they were sitting. She made no effort to hide the fact that her orders were to make them as comfortable as she possibly could. She certainly wasn't told anything about the Intersect. She wasn't anywhere close to having that kind of clearance. But the star struck look on her face plainly said that she had been told that her passengers were national heroes of the highest order, and they were to be treated with the utmost respect.

Normally Sarah would have quickly gotten jealous over such a pretty girl gushing so overtly in Chuck's general direction. And truthfully it was definitely in there somewhere. It really wouldn't have taken too much more flirting for Corporal Rodgers to find out the hard way how possessive Sarah was willing to get. But she was able to suppress it. In fact, he was so preoccupied with looking out the window that he barely noticed the gushing. Sarah could live with that. What she couldn't live with was that he also barely noticed the bedroom eyes she was shooting him as she leaned forward to give him the best possible view down the evening dress she was still mostly wearing, hopefully for not much longer.

"What's wrong?" she finally asked. "Are you tired?" That would be disappointing. But she had to admit, it had been a long day, for both of them.

It took Chuck a long moment to realize that she was talking to him. "No," he said. "I'm not tired. Are you?"

"You seem preoccupied. What's wrong? You're not mad about Laura kissing you, are you? That was more a joke than anything."

Chuck really didn't answer her main question. "I'm not mad," he said. "Why do you think I'm mad? Let's play a game."

That got a double take… and a grin. "Sounds good," Sarah said in her teasing tone. "I thought that you'd never ask. Maybe we should take this into the bedroom compartment. Unless, of course, your game includes Corporal Rodgers. She looks like she would be more than willing to play any game you could invent. What sort of game do you have in mind?"

"It's not a sex game," Chuck said with a short laugh, ignoring the not so subtle shot. "At least it doesn't start out that way. Here is how it goes. I ask you a question. You have to tell me the absolute truth, not what you think I want to hear, not something to keep from hurting my feelings, but the truth. Can you do that?"

Sarah could instantly tell that he wasn't really teasing. What he was describing wasn't a game. It could possibly even turn the night very tense. She also could guess what his question would be. It would be about her prior missions… and the men. That clearly bothered him more than he was trying to pretend. It was not really the conversation she was looking forward to having, and especially not tonight. But he was her husband. He did deserve to know those things. "I could think of more fun games," she said. "But okay, ask your question. You do realize that the rules prohibit you from being upset by my answer, right? Don't ask a question and demand an honest answer if you don't want to hear it."

Chuck nodded and took a deep breath. "Do you wish that I was more macho sometimes? More like a spy?"

Okay, so that was the very last thing she expected him to ask. At first she didn't know what to say. "Why would you ask me that?" she finally asked. "I'm not sure what you mean exactly."

"Sometimes I think that you're happier when I'm Carmichael," Chuck said as he looked out the window.

So she was wrong just a second ago. Now that was the very last thing she expected him to say. "What is that supposed to mean?" Sarah asked, making sure to keep the rising anger from her voice.

"Look at the men that you've been with," Chuck said fighting to keep his composure as he continued to look out the window. "Seth and Bryce are just like Carmichael. When Carmichael was groping you in front of Bowles and her men tonight, you were clearly turned on. I could feel it. When I'm Chuck, you tell me that I'll never be a pig. Do you want more Carmichael? Do you want more of a man?"

"Hey," Sarah said softly. "Look at me."

To his credit, Chuck turned from the window and faced her.

"Okay," Sarah said firmly. "I'll honestly answer your question. But before I do I need you to listen to me for a minute. If you never hear another thing that I ever say, hear this. There is no Carmichael, dumb ass. He doesn't exist. There is Chuck. And sometimes he calls himself Carmichael. You're jealous of yourself. How stupid is that?"

Chuck opened his mouth to protest but was stopped by her look.

"And if you think that I was turned on because you were like Bryce or Seth, that's even more stupid," Sarah continued, now unable to keep the frustrated anger from her voice. "The truth is it's exactly the opposite. I was turned on in that room not because some macho pig was groping me. I actually could have lived without that part. I was excited because it was yet another example of how much you love me. You love me enough to do whatever it takes to protect me, even when it means risking your life for me, even though you haven't been trained and have no idea what you're doing. You do it anyway. Do you know what the men you're comparing yourself to, Seth or Bryce or Casey for that matter would have done in that situation?"

Now Chuck was interested. So he shook his head.

"Seth would have fled the scene and left me to fend for myself," Sarah said disgustedly. "Bryce would have hid for a few hours and waited until he had an advantage, probably while I was in the middle of being tortured or gang raped or worse and come in with guns blazing. Casey wouldn't have waited for any advantage. He would have just barged in guns blazing. Either might have rescued me eventually but the mission would have been blown. And I would have been seriously hurt if not killed."

"But not you," Sarah said much more softly. "You used your brain instead of your guns. You tricked them into letting me go by thinking that you were one of them. I didn't get a single scratch and the mission was still successful. Do I want more of a spy, Chuck? Bryce or Casey never could have done that. Seth wouldn't have tried. I don't know a single spy who could have done what you did tonight. And now you clearly still think that someone like that is going to swoop in and sweep me off my feet? I hoped that we were way past this. I would laugh at you if I wasn't so pissed off."

Chuck just looked at Sarah sadly. She was misunderstanding him.

"I'm so proud of you that I could cry," Sarah said as she grabbed Chuck's hand. "And that's what turned me on. Chuck Bartowski is not a spy, doesn't claim to be. He's so much better than a spy. Maybe he doesn't have the training, doesn't know any hand-to-hand combat moves, isn't an expert marksman. But he'll do whatever it takes to protect me, all because he loves me. He's amazing. There is nobody who I'd rather have at my back. When he's not acting all brain dead, that is."

"I'm sorry," Chuck said softly. "I feel foolish. But…"

"Well maybe," Sarah interrupted with a smile. "But you don't feel nearly as foolish as you should. More man, Chuck? Really? Chuck, just what do you think that I've been looking for in a man anyway? Bryce and I were together for two years. We've probably ordered a hundred pizzas. Do you know how many times he saw me pick the olives off my pizza?"

Chuck shook his head.

"The second time I had pizza with you it didn't have olives," Sarah said in a much softer tone. "Do you think that Seth knows where I went to high school? Do you think he would even care? Do you know how many chocolate croissants Bryce ever brought me to cheer me up when he knew that I was down? It would be easy because the answer is zero. Why are you being so stupid, Chuck? If you had a clue in that massive brain of yours. If you only knew how I feel you would never doubt me again. Now I'm really pissed."

Chuck knew that she was angry so he held his tongue until she was finished.

"And the pig thing," Sarah continued. "I'm very, very sorry if you think that I'm questioning your manhood. I just realized that maybe that's what it sounded like to you. Trust me; it's not that at all. I think that it's just that we mean different things when we use the word. You don't want to be a pig in the way I mean it. I've met enough pigs to last a lifetime. You're saying that you're a pig because you've had an impure thought about me a few times? Chuck, that just makes you human. Do you really think that I haven't had an impure thought about you a few times?"

Chuck nodded. "I'm sorry that I made you mad," he said. "I wasn't trying to make you mad. You're misunderstanding what I was asking. That's why I felt foolish. I was honestly curious if there is something I could do to make you happier. If there is, if being Carmichael makes you happy, I want to do it."

Sarah breathed a big sigh of relief. He was right. She had allowed hothead Sarah to take over and jump to the wrong conclusion. She now felt about an inch tall for that angry rant. So she reached over and grabbed his hand. "I'm sorry that I got mad," she said. "Now I feel a little foolish. That was very sweet. I really haven't answered your question, have I? The honest, straight up, no bullshit truth is that I don't want you to change, not one single thing. I love, love, love who I have. In fact, you're almost too good to be true. If you want total honesty, I maybe wish that you'd feel more comfortable with me in bed initiating things and telling me what you want instead of making me guess. But that is a minor nit, certainly nothing that I want you to feel badly about."

"Okay," Chuck said. "I'll work on that. For the record, you've been a pretty good guesser so far."

Thank got them both laughing. "Now my turn," Sarah finally said. Oft his surprised look, she smiled. "Surely you didn't think that you were the only one who gets to play. You have to honestly answer a question too. If you could snap your fingers and change something about me, what would it be? Do you wish that I was more feminine sometimes?"

Chuck took a moment to decide how to phrase his answer. He knew what she meant. Her instincts were still as much those of a bodyguard as they were of a wife. "I know that you don't believe this," he finally began. "But I love the fact that you're such a badass. It's a huge turn-on when you get all mama lioness in my defense. More feminine? Sarah, you're the most beautiful woman in the world. How could you possibly get more feminine? I would be cheating in this new game if I said that I think you're perfect and I wouldn't change a thing, wouldn't I?"

"Totally cheating," Sarah said laughing.

"Okay," Chuck said. "I'll come clean. Sometimes I maybe wish you could be more open with me. I'm your husband, Sarah. You shouldn't be afraid to tell me anything. I know that you've done things in training and on missions that you're uncomfortable with me knowing the details. You don't have to be. I get that the CIA isn't the Girl Scouts."

"Are you sure?" Sarah asked. "I think that I know you pretty well. There are some things that are going to make you wince."

"I'm absolutely positive," Chuck said. "For one thing, those things happened before we had even met. If anything talking about them would make us closer. It's something we could share and deal with together. My being a little uncomfortable or wincing for a second is a small price to pay for that, to know that you trust me enough to tell me the uncomfortable things. I promise that I'll never use any of the things you tell me to try and make you feel bad."

Sarah knew that he was telling her the truth. He wasn't looking for intel, for some excuse to hold over her head. He just honestly wanted to know her better. It was sweet… totally, incredibly, almost unbelievably sweet. "Okay," she said. "I do trust you. That sounds nice. How about after we get back from our honeymoon, we'll set aside some time and I'll honestly work on that? Now it's time for me to pick the game." Again oft his surprised look she grinned. "Do you seriously think that you get to pick all of the games?"

That got them both laughing again. "Somehow I sense your game is going to take place in the bedroom compartment," Chuck said.

"We've been married almost exactly twenty-four hours," Sarah said. "We're on a six hour flight on our way to our honeymoon. There is a bedroom on the plane. Wouldn't there be something wrong if we didn't head back there?"

"Point well taken," Chuck admitted. "What are the rules of this game?"

"It's called 'Genie'," Sarah said with a laugh. "I think that's pretty self explanatory. Over the next two weeks we both get three wishes that the other has to make come true. We'll alternate. I'll go first."

"Okay," Chuck agreed. "Go for it. What's your first wish?"

"Not so fast," Sarah said. "We have two whole weeks. My first wish will happen in Hawaii. It will take pretty much a whole day for you to make it come true."

"A whole day," Chuck sighed. "Are you trying to kill me?"

That got Sarah laughing. "It's not going to be all sex," she finally was able to get out. "There are actually other things that I like to do too, you know? Don't worry. I think that you'll survive. Maybe you should put your brain to work and start thinking about your first wish. Besides, I'm afraid we still have some work to do tonight."

"Work," Chuck groaned. "What kind of work? Come on, we're on our honeymoon."

But Sarah was firm. "Sorry," she said. "But the honeymoon will have to wait. This is important. It's very possible that you're going to see that Bowles bitch again someday. She'll be expecting to listen to a tape of what she thinks is happening right now. We need to record that scene on your cell phone. Fulcrum Agent Charles Carmichael is looking to get information from CIA Agent Sarah Walker. But first he needs to show her who is boss and break her spirit. He's already given Agent Walker her first dose of Neuorpol and she is currently pretty much his fuck toy. When it starts to wear off, she'll be begging him, willing to do anything to get the next dose, and I do mean anything. He intends to mix business with pleasure, to use her in ways he's only imagined, to…"

Chuck looked around uncomfortably. "Audio only?" he interrupted hopefully. "Are we faking this?"

Sarah grabbed his hand and started to lead him to the bedroom in the rear of the plane. "Audio only," she assured him, clearly teasing. "Faking it might work. But why would we take any chances that she would see through it? Besides, what would be the fun in faking it? No, I think we'll need to do this for real. We both know that you're not a pig, Chuck."

"Let's see how big of one Agent Carmichael can be."

x-x-x-x-x

Bryce sat in his hotel room watching the scene play out on his laptop. Sarah was really slipping. It was one of those things that he had tried to warn Chuck about the other day. When spies made mistakes, even simple mistakes, they often died… or worse. And she should have guessed that there might be a hidden camera in Beckman's bedroom compartment.

This was admittedly a very tough scene for Bryce to watch. But then again, he found that he couldn't turn his eyes away from the screen. He always assumed that Chuck and Sarah were having regular sex. As much as he would have liked to, it was impossible to try and believe anything else. They were married. But that assumption was nothing like watching it so vividly happen in living color.

Sarah was amazingly beautiful, that much was pretty obvious. But the truth is Bryce had forgotten a little how truly breathtaking she was. And as much as he hated to admit it, when they were together he had never seen the glow that was currently on her face. He had slept with her more than a few times. And sure, he had gotten glimpses of parts of her naked. But he had never seen her the way that Chuck was currently seeing her. The black and white picture he was watching didn't come close. She was always so careful to make sure it was dark and she was under the covers before she ever got undressed with him. By contrast, here she was doing a slow strip tease for Chuck with the lights fully on. And actually it was more than just stripping.

He couldn't hear them. There was something wrong with the audio feed. But he didn't have to. They were obviously playing some kind of role game. Chuck was clearly giving her directions which she was just as clearly eager to follow. She stood directly in front of him and slowly lowered the zipper of her dress. Once she was done, gravity quickly took over and exposed her chest. After her dress was finally lying on the floor, she stepped out of it and took about an hour to slide her panties down those incredibly long beautiful legs before handing them to him. She then followed his instructions grinning there in the fully lit room. She was clearly enjoying posing in assorted positions for his approval every bit as much as he was.

After a while, Chuck had her sit on his lap. She looked directly into his eyes, conspicuously took his hand, and placed it on her breast. She took his other hand, placed it flat on her stomach and pushed it steadily south, submissively opening her knees to give him the total access he had clearly demanded.

After wrapping her arms around his neck and leading Chuck though some serious second and third base necking, she finally stood up and started unbuttoning his shirt, kissing her way down his chest as she went. Then she moved to the chair that was in front of him wearing only her stockings, legs propped up on the armrests, and put on quite the erotic show for her new husband. It was torture to watch, unbelievable even. It was like watching a different person. She had never come close to doing anything like that for him.

But the worst part was the way she smiled at Chuck as she helped him out of his pants and dropped to her knees. That was a very sore point for Bryce. The only way to ever get Sarah to do that for him was as payment for a huge favor. And at the end, the price was getting ridiculously high. And even those few times that he could count on one hand when he could pay the price it was as quick as possible and very obviously delivered reluctantly and with a sullen attitude. But here she was on that computer screen actually clearly getting into it with him. She even paused several times plainly to make it last for him as long as possible. It didn't take much of a lip reader to see her smile sweetly at him and tell him how much she was enjoying this, when her lips weren't otherwise occupied, that is. She was even thanking him for giving her the opportunity to do something special for him. It simply wasn't fair.

Bryce couldn't see Chuck's face directly until he fell back onto the bed. But then he looked in disgust at Chuck's face, contorted with passion as she finally quickened the pace and led him to the massive orgasm she had been delaying for so long. The laptop went flying through the air busting into, maybe not a million pieces when it hit the wall. But it would never be used as a computer again. "You son of a bitch," he finally shouted in frustration to the empty room.

"You stole my girl."

x-x-x-x-x

_A/N: This is basically where the original story ended. Fulcrum has been defeated and Chuck and Sarah are ready to start their lives together. But of course their story hasn't ended. There will be new challenges to face, new enemies to defeat, new ways to grow closer together as a couple._

_From now on, the story will be totally brand new. When I originally planned on the sequel, we didn't know anything about Mary Bartowski and even less about Alexi Volkoff._

_Just a fair bit of warning._

_I never bought their story in the show. Trying to make sense of that story makes my head hurt. So I'm going to make no effort to make them appear like canon. You're not going to like them. In fact, they may creep you out a little. Sorry about that (not really, it just seemed the thing to say). I have to earn my M rating somehow, right?_

x-x-x-x-x


	27. Honeymoon CIA Style

_This is not an original story. It was written during the middle of season 2. The original story assumed a sequel that never happened. So there will be some brand new content in this rewrite and several new chapters at the end._

_I still don't own Chuck._

_If you enjoyed this or any of the stories on this site, please take a second and send the author a review. It only takes a second – and it really, really makes a difference. That's probably more important than ever now that the series has ended. If you want to keep the Chuck fandom alive and continue to read about these characters, you really need to think about rewarding the people whose hard work make that possible._

**Honeymoon CIA Style**

x-x-x-x-x

Corporal Rodgers had just knocked on the door and very cautiously poked her head inside to let them know they would be landing within the half hour. They weren't sleeping, not really. But it was left to Sarah scramble out of her favorite cuddling position to get the sheet over their nakedness, more for Chuck's benefit than anything. If it had been up to Sarah, she would have given the perky Corporal an eyeful, mark her turf as it were. Then again, in the calmer moment that was inspired by the hottest, by a huge margin, several hours of sex of her whole life, she had to admit that she was maybe over reacting, a little anyway. This woman wasn't coming on to her husband, not really. She was just a natural flirt. And Chuck didn't even recognize the fact that she was flirting with him anyway. He never seemed to realize how often that he was the recipient of wistful glances from other women. That was… sweet.

"Tell me the truth," Sarah said with a teasing smile after the Corporal had closed the door, but not before taking a moment to kiss his neck a few times. "Was that really so hard?"

"Come on," Chuck said. "It was an assignment, right? Like you said, if I ever run into Bowles now I'll definitely have something to let her listen to. I must say, Mrs. Bartowski, you made a very convincing Neuorpol addict."

That got them both laughing. "You really meant to say 'fuck toy', right?" Sarah finally choked out. "Thanks. I think anyway. Besides, I was quite richly rewarded. Couldn't you hear the moans? Maybe my thighs were covering your ears."

She could plainly see the red rushing up his neck and into his face. There was a time when his reaction would have frustrated her. But now it was… well, incredibly cute. "I'm sorry if I'm embarrassing you," she said with a grin.

Chuck returned her grin. "You don't sound all that sorry," he teased.

"I'm really not," Sarah said while laughing. "It just seemed like the thing to say. The truth is I'm sort of enjoying making you blush a little."

"A little?"

That got Sarah laughing even harder. "Okay," she admitted. "The truth is I'm enjoying it a lot." Then she turned a little more serious. "Look," she said. "I understand that a marriage is a lot more than just sex. I get that. And I want ours to be a healthy marriage in every sense. I'm willing to do whatever it takes to prove that to you. I'll admit that I may not have a clue right now what that entirely means. So maybe I depend on sex a little more than I should. I'll work hard, I promise. I'd just ask for a little patience."

"You're being a little silly," Chuck said. "Do you really think that I have a clue right now how to be a good husband? I don't think anybody does. It's something that we'll have to grow into together. For the record, you don't ever have to be sorry about too much sex."

That got a distinct twinkle in her eyes. "When did I ever say that I was sorry?" she asked rhetorically. "You really didn't let me finish. I'm not sorry in the least, for multiple reasons."

"Reasons?" Chuck asked.

"I've already told you this," Sarah said. "But I spent a lot of sleepless nights feeling guilty when I was treating you like crap for so long. I got myself through those nights by promising myself that if I ever got the chance I would make it up to you. I'm keeping that promise to myself."

Chuck grinned. "I'd be wasting my breath telling you that you don't have to make up anything, right?" he asked. It was much more statement than question.

"Totally wasting your breath," Sarah said as she returned his grin. "I adore you. I love seeing you enjoy yourself, so aroused that you can't remember your own name. I want to make every effort to show you that you can ask me for anything. There is nothing off the table. I'm going to stay on you until you prove to me that you're willing to take me up on it."

Chuck got quiet for a moment. "I just don't want to make you feel like an object," he sighed.

Sarah raised her head with a sly smile. "Are you really going to make me get on my knees and beg?" she asked. "I think that I've already proven tonight rather conclusively that I will. We only have a few minutes before we land. Maybe not enough time to beg properly." Then she playfully dug her diamond ring into his arm. "On second thought," she said. "I don't have to beg. We're married. The laws are admittedly a little vague in this area, but do you feel that? That's the symbol that you're legally obligated to give me sex on demand, in virtually any kinky way I want it. If you don't come though, I'll sue. Maybe I should see a lawyer and get a court order."

"That's quite an interesting interpretation of marriage law," Chuck said with his own smile. "Then again, you're in law enforcement. You'd probably know better that I would. Not to quibble on details, but technically that was your engagement ring. That's only the symbol that I promised that _someday_ I would be legally obligated give you kinky sex on demand. Trust me, no lawyers or court orders will be necessary. I'm sorry for making this such a big deal, but I just have to hear you say it. Anything? Are you sure about that?"

"Chuck," Sarah said in faux frustration. "What more do you want? Fiery letters in the sky? Anything means anything. I'll admit that I'd be surprised if you asked for some things. If you asked to invite Corporal Rodgers back here to join us, I'd have a hard time pretending to enjoy it. But I forfeit any right to be upset. If you asked for that, I'd consider that it would be my obligation to make it happen."

"I would never ask for that," Chuck immediately protested.

That got Sarah's grin back in force. "I know," she said. "That's why I used that particular example. Okay, so maybe my motives aren't quite as pure as fresh mountain snow here. The simple truth is I'm having the time of my life. I've never felt anything close to this before. Chuck, I can't even describe it; it's like pure electricity poring through my body. Earlier when I was begging for my next dose of Neuorpol and you were making me put on that show for you, my knees were so weak that I could barely stand."

Off his concerned look Sarah continued. "You don't even have to say it," she said. "I can see it written all over your face. No, that doesn't mean there is anything wrong with our regular sex life. Come on, Chuck, we have a connection in bed that I never thought was possible. In fact I'm pretty much addicted to it. But there is also nothing wrong with being a little creative and changing things up sometimes, is there? If you're feeling guilty about that, you shouldn't. I have some fantasies that I'm going to be asking you to make come true too. We're on our honeymoon. Isn't this the time and place to just relax and enjoy each other? To forget that the rest of the world even exists? Give me a single reason that we should hold back."

Chuck was suddenly struck by the ridiculousness of the situation. Here was his soul mate, not to mention the most beautiful girl in the whole world, pleading with him to allow her to give him two weeks that he would never forget. He really had no choice but to grin. "Here's the deal," he said. "You're absolutely right. It's our honeymoon. There is no reason to hold back. Maybe we should talk about Beckman's offer for a few minutes, get that out of the way."

"Not now," Sarah said firmly. "We're on our honeymoon. The rest of the world doesn't exist, remember? That includes the CIA… and especially Beckman. I can't think of much that would ruin the mood that I'm going for than to think about General Diane Beckman, can you? Whatever she really wants here, we can wait for two weeks before we tell her to go to hell. Agreed?"

"Agreed," Chuck sighed.

Sarah's grin turned a little on the evil side. "Thank you," she said. "So we agree, I can expect your full and enthusiastic participation for whatever I can come up with."

"Wow," Chuck said. "This is sounding more and more like I don't have much of a choice.

"Good," Sarah teased as she reached over to kiss him gently. "So you do understand."

That got them both laughing hard.

"That's very good," Sarah said. "Chuck, sweetie, you're soon going to have some new experiences that you've never dreamed of. For the next two weeks…" Sarah paused to allow her words to sink in.

"Your ass is mine."

x-x-x-x-x

Bryce Larkin really wasn't in a very good mood. He didn't want to be here in this office. He was already supposed to be in the plane on his way to Hawaii. So he was a little less than his usual charming self. Maybe this would be easy. "Dr. Cole, can we get started?" he asked.

Joan Cole was in charge of the Intersect 2.0 testing project. It was a position that quite frankly rankled most, if not all, of her colleagues. Oh, there was no question that she was brilliant. That wasn't the issue. But could someone so young and inexperienced head such a vital and pressure packed project? Most of the team she led were almost double her age, had worked on some variant of the Intersect project for years.

Of course it didn't help the institutional resentment any that Joan was, if not beautiful, far better looking than one would expect from the typical research scientist. That led to the inevitable whispers that Dr. Cole's amazing rise through the ranks were partially anyway earned on her back. The irony of that was it couldn't be further from the truth. Not only did she never try to use her good looks in any way, she didn't even recognize that she was pretty, never made any effort to enhance her looks. It wasn't like she was a virgin or anything. She even had a steady boyfriend for a few months in her sophomore year at Duke. But he eventually wanted more than she was prepared to give so they both agreed to move on. After that ended she found herself far to busy to spend any time dating. And you didn't earn the title of 'Doctor' while still in your twenties, especially in such a male dominated field, by being boy crazy.

So what was it about this bad boy CIA Agent that simply took her breath away? Joan couldn't explain it, in fact was more than a little embarrassed by it. But she also couldn't deny that it was true. His blue eyes and boyish grin simply made her thighs tingle. She looked forward to his next visit, made sure that she traded her typical white lab jacket for a blouse on those days, forced herself into her only lacy bra, even took the unprecedented step of applying makeup and unbuttoning that button, the one that until now had always stayed fastened.

She was more than a little disappointed by his mood. "Dr. Cole?" she asked. "Isn't that a little formal? I thought that we agreed…"

Bryce silently kicked himself. The fact was that he needed her help. She was going to have to break more than a few rules to give him what he needed. He had been working on her for a few months now. It was pretty much like a lion stalked a gazelle. He knew that she was ready for the physical phase, had been for a while now. It was written all over her face in the language that men like Bryce Larkin were so expert at reading. And even if it wasn't written on her face, her nipples that were now pointing at him through her blouse said it even more plainly. All he had to do was to pull the trigger.

And to blow all of that hard work simply because he was obsessing over Sarah? It was beyond stupid. Not only that, it was unprofessional. Fortunately, it was also easily fixed. So he put the pout on his face and looked sadly into her eyes. "I'm sorry, Joan," he said. "I didn't mean anything by it. I guess I'm just frustrated. Can I be totally honest?"

Joan was so enthralled looking into his bright blue eyes that she didn't realize for a long moment that he was expecting an answer. "Of course," she finally said.

"You're frustrating me," Bryce said.

That surprised Joan. It was the last thing she expected him to say. "Me?" was all she could think of. "In what way?"

"I thought that we had something, a personal connection," Bryce said. "It wouldn't be appropriate for me to make an advance on you. I kept waiting for you to give me a sign that it would be okay. I guess I've misinterpreted you. I'm sorry if this is inappropriate. I was just hoping… look, you're clearly not interested. I'll back off."

Joan was wrong a moment ago. That was the last thing that she expected him to say. "Oh my God," she whispered. "I'm sorry. I didn't realize. I don't want you to back off." Maybe that made her sound like the boy-crazy slut that she normally looked down upon. But she frankly no longer cared. Whatever it was going to take to get him, she was more than willing to do. "The truth is I've been waiting for you."

Bryce turned on that boyish smile. She had just surrendered. They both knew it. Now it was time to seal the deal. "This is tragic," he said. "We've been waiting for each other. Now I have to go back on assignment tonight. I'm not sure when I'll be back. Let's not waste any more time dancing around that. Maybe we'll have to make today last for a while."

Joan was so enthralled that she didn't even realize at first that he was kissing her. But it was clearly the high point of her life. Her meter was already well past the red line as their tongues quickly danced passionately. Joan had never felt like this in her life, really couldn't tell how long she was floating on that all-consuming cloud. It seemed to be forever. He was beyond smooth. She was clearly no match for his experience or skill at this. She honestly didn't even realize that her shirt and bra were lying on the floor until he broke the kiss and moved to her left breast, playfully pulling on her now rock hard nipple with his lips.

Joan hadn't been in a leadership position with the CIA for very long, maybe didn't understand all of the rules. But she was pretty sure that wildly fucking a field agent, a subordinate, on the top of her desk during a business meeting was probably frowned upon. What she was totally sure of was that she no longer cared. It simply didn't matter. This was something that she needed. She would have gladly traded her career for the electric feeling that his tongue on her breast and his exploring hand that had slid down inside of her panties was generating.

Bryce's grin was not all fake. He was pretty happy with himself. The boyish smile had struck again. It almost wasn't fair. And if you had to make sacrifices for your country, well, this one wasn't all that bad. The moans she was trying to keep a little quiet so they couldn't be heard through the door said it all. One fuck and she would be his, more than willing, love struck slave for as long as he wanted. Getting her to come to his room tonight for a farewell night of debauchery, going outside of CIA rules, and giving him the Intersect glasses that he needed was the very minimum he would now be able to get her to do. The look of desire in her eyes as she stepped out of her panties said that more clearly than any words possibly could.

With such a willing student, it was almost a shame that he wouldn't have the time tonight to see how many things he could teach her. That might be a little fun. Maybe he could figure out some way to make her naive lust something to use to his advantage. But that was for later. Now that he had her naked, he broke the embrace for a moment to lift her onto the edge of her desk, gently pushed her knees apart, and then stepped back to admire her submissive position, ceding all control to him, waiting helplessly with wide eyes for whatever he was going to do next, biting her lip to keep silent, while he unbuttoned his own shirt.

_This was way too easy._

x-x-x-x-x

"So tell me the truth," Laura said as she gawked at him evilly. "Was it really so hard for you to trust me?"

Casey lifted his head from the pillow long enough to test the two sets of cuffs that had each of his hands fastened above his head to the headboard. No question that she had done this a time or two. His hands were securely fastened. "I'm not so sure," he said tentatively. "I had a bad experience once with this sort of thing."

"I know," Laura said. "Sarah told me all about it. She even showed me the picture she took. That's sort of why I insisted on this. I need you to trust me. I'm not Carina, Casey. In fact I'm pretty much the exact opposite of Carina. She tricked you into this position to mess with you and yet avoid fucking you. I tricked you into this position to mess with you but also to give you the wildest fuck you've ever experienced."

"Tricked?" Casey asked as he jerked at his binds in a hopeless attempt to get free. "What does that mean?"

"That I'm now totally in charge of this situation, Casey," Laura replied as her grin turned evil. "You probably don't realize it yet but you're now my slave. I think that I can prove that to you." She got up and pressed a button on her phone that was sitting on the night stand.

"You're recording this?" Casey asked nervously. "Why?"

"I'm going to give it to Chuck," Laura said as she stood beside the bed and allowed her dress to slide to the floor, leaving her dressed the same way she was with Sarah and West earlier, in only her bright red thong and stockings. Then she ghosted her hand gently over the tent that was oh so plainly obvious in his boxers. "I really like him, Casey. At first it might embarrass him a little. But after he gets over the initial shock, I imagine he'll have a field day teasing you mercilessly about this for… well, basically forever. We both know that's true. I don't think that there's really any question about it. Unless of course, I get exactly what I want here. I think that I'd enjoy hearing you admit that."

"You're bluffing," Casey said.

That got a short laugh. "Bluffing, Casey?" she asked. "Really? Do you really think that I'm bluffing? Wow, I have to say, I figured you for a lot smarter than that."

Casey suddenly realized that she wasn't bluffing. "Okay," he admitted in the tone of total defeat. "I give. You're in charge. What's it going to take to keep that from happening?"

"Mistress?" Laura prodded gently.

Casey clearly realized that there was only one way out of this… her way. "Okay, Mistress," he said sadly. "What's it going to take?"

"First allow me to compliment you on recognizing the futility of any resistance so quickly," Laura said. "Some men would have made this a lot harder on themselves. To answer your question, it's going to take whatever I can think of to amuse myself. That's quite a tent you're pitching, let's start off by taking a good look at the pole."

She reached down to tug at the band on his boxers. "Come on, Casey," she said as if she were talking to a child. "Lift up your hips. Be a good boy and help me out a little. Trust me, with what you're packing you have nothing to be ashamed about. I'll bet Chuck will be suitably impressed. I'm not sure how Sarah will react. Of course you realize that Chuck will surely show her this tape, right. I'm not sure if size impresses her or where Chuck is on that scale. So if you ever see her staring at your crotch, well, don't worry too much. Just between us, I have every intention of making good use of that amazing tool that I now completely own… a little later."

As soon as she had him naked, Laura stood next to his head and slowly slid off her thong then sat next to him on the edge of the bed to roll down her stockings. Once she was also naked, she climbed onto his chest, and straddled him provocatively. Then she turned a little to face the camera. "Well, Chuck," she said. "If you're watching this it means that Casey here didn't do absolutely everything in his power to make me happy. That doesn't seem too bright to me. Tell Sarah that I'm sorry for showing you my tits. Be honest though, they're pretty nice, right? Not to brag or anything, but I've been getting lots of compliments about them since I was fifteen. Please let Sarah know that Casey here had a chance to avoid all of this… and blew it. If you never see this, well, that means that he's stepped up and made me a very happy girl."

Laura turned back to Casey. "Men have been using me as a fuck toy for years now," she said with a smile that was pure evil. "I can't tell you how much I've looked forward to turning the tables." She began to inch her way up his chest, grinning a little broader with every inch. "Guess what your first task is going to be?" she asked rhetorically. "I shouldn't have to say this. But I suggest that you make every effort to do an amazingly good job. Precision is very important here, but so is enthusiasm. Any questions?"

"No, mistress."

"Good," Laura said as she settled down to enjoy his efforts. "You may begin."

Okay, so Laura's expectations here were quite high. But it was quickly becoming obvious that this was something that he was good at. It wouldn't exactly fit the mood she was going for to praise him by moaning. So she bit her lip to keep it in. But his tongue already had her senses on fire. "For the next two hours," she sighed contentedly.

"Your ass is mine."

x-x-x-x-x

Whatever Sarah's current opinion of General Beckman was, she had to admit something. She had spared no expense to provide them with a truly first class honeymoon. There was no other way to describe it, the suite was simply marvelous. For one thing, it was right on the beach. Their fifteenth floor location gave them an amazing view of the ocean. When you walked out onto the balcony, you could hear the waves crashing and feel the marvelous soft ocean breeze. It was early in the morning, but one could imagine that the perfectly manicured, pure white beach would soon be busy with tourists enjoying the water and sun.

The inside of the suite was no less spectacular. It had all of the normal amenities one with expect with separate access to the balcony from the bedroom or living room. A small kitchen area sat off the main room. There was one thing for sure, the kitchen would go unused. Sarah had no intention of picking her honeymoon to learn how to cook.

Of course, Sarah's attention was immediately drawn to the large poster bed. It's where they would be spending a lot of the next two weeks. She resisted her first reaction to check if the pole holding up the poster was sturdy enough to be used as a makeshift stripper pole. There would be time to inspect it more closely later.

Chuck's attention would have normally been drawn to the massive, sixty inch LCD television that was mounted on the wall. But the honest truth was, he was tired. It may have been early in the morning, but his body was telling him that it was noon… of the next day. He wasn't used to staying up all night. And yes, he had just spent several hours in bed. But sleep was maybe the one experience that Sarah hadn't quite gotten around to. So that large poster bed was looking pretty good to him as well, maybe for a different reason, but still.

"Do you think we could go to bed for a while?" he asked hopefully. "And maybe get some sleep," he added with as much smile as he could muster, just in case she misinterpreted his intent in any way.

Sarah was positively giddy, about lots of things, really. Sleeping wasn't all that high on her list of planned activities for the near future. In fact she had the phone in her hand ready to order some breakfast from room service. But the pleading tone in his voice struck her as funny. So she dropped that phone and narrowed her eyebrows at him. "Do you really think that this bed is for sleeping?" she asked with her hands on her hips. "This is our honeymoon. Maybe I wasn't as clear on the plane as I assumed."

Sarah couldn't keep a straight face for very long watching the look on his face which was half confusion, and half horror. He opened his mouth to respond but clearly was stuck for a response. "I'm teasing you, Chuck," she finally let him off the hook with a laugh. "Let's make a deal. We can take your nap. Then after we wake up, we'll go downstairs and shop for some stuff. We both need suits. We're going to go together and pick out the skimpiest bikini possible without getting arrested for me to model for your enjoyment for the next two weeks. Then we'll find a similarly skimpy banana hammock for you to model for my amusement. Is that fair?"

Chuck actually had some hope that she was still teasing him. He pushed down the thought that he wouldn't be the only man on the beach seeing his beautiful wife model a skimpy bikini. And a banana hammock? He didn't see that happening either. But frankly, he was so tired at that point that he would have agreed to almost anything to get her to let him take that nap. "Fine," he sighed. But all of that concern faded as he looked at her. He was overwhelmed by the glow of pure joy on her face. "You're in an awfully good mood," he observed.

One of the advantages of wearing such a slutty dress was that it was easy to take off. Sarah had already stepped out of it and was ready for the nap. She stepped up and wrapped her arms around his neck and squeezed for everything she was worth. "I'm happy, Chuck," she said softly. "And not just about the prospect of a wild honeymoon. We're going to start our life together. Fulcrum has been defeated. I no longer have to be your bodyguard. Now I can concentrate on being what I want to be, wife, mother, sister. I'm so excited, sweetie. I'm sorry if I get a little obnoxious."

"Don't be sorry," Chuck said. "I love seeing you like this. The honest truth is that I'm looking forward to that life together every bit as much as you are."

x-x-x-x-x

Laura had finally caught her breath enough to lean up and gently kiss Casey. They were lying cuddled together covered by only a single sheet, his now free arms wrapped firmly around her. "Admit it," she said. "This girl-on-top thing works. Is it official? Best fuck ever for you too?"

Casey laughed. "It's official," he said. "Not only that, I got out of Chuck seeing it happen, right?"

That got Laura laughing. "About that," she said. "I was totally bluffing. Sarah would absolutely kill me if I ever showed Chuck a tape of me naked. You actually bought that? Maybe we should play some poker later."

"I knew it," Casey said, mad at himself. "She wouldn't kill you right away. She would make you suffer for a while first."

"But it didn't work out so horribly," Laura teased. "Did it?"

Casey didn't answer. "When do you have to be back in Miami?" he asked softly.

"I have to leave tomorrow," Laura answered sadly. "I hate this assignment. I'll be so happy when I get to shoot that sadistic bastard in the head."

Casey knew the answer before he asked. He of all people should have never asked that question. But he couldn't help himself. "Do you really have to go?" he asked softly.

Laura didn't answer either. "Please," she pleaded. "Don't make this harder than it already is. I can't fall in love with you. Not now. I'm maybe not Carina, but I'm not Sarah either. I… Casey, my head is too messed up right now. I don't want to make another mistake. That wouldn't be fair to you. Please don't ask for something that I can't give."

"Okay," he said sadly. "I understand."

Laura leaned in to kiss him again, this time much more urgently. "No you don't," she said. "Or if you do, you're the only one who does. Don't worry. I will be back. That's the only promise I feel comfortable making at this point."

"I'll be here," Casey said trying to lighten the mood as much as possible. "For the record, I don't want you to be Sarah. I'm happy for her and everything, but that would make me hurl."

That got a genuine grin. "I know," she said. "Me too. At least we still have the rest of the night. I still have high hopes." Laura picked up a set of cuffs from the nightstand and dangled them suggestively in front of his face.

"It's your turn to be in charge."

x-x-x-x-x


	28. Old Men Need Loving Too

_I still don't own Chuck._

_We're firmly into the new part of the story. This is quite a lot different than my original plan for the sequel. It's actually turning out a bit darker (thanks a lot, Bryce) than I had planned. Not to worry, I promise zero relationship angst and as always 'only happy endings' is still firmly in force. I still don't think that Bryce is a villain. Scumbag? Okay, I'll buy scumbag. Yeah, he still wants Sarah, even thinks that she owes him something. Yeah, he still thinks that he has a shot to collect. He may find out the hard way that he doesn't. We've seen the lady agents use sex to get men to do odd things a lot. Well, it only makes sense that Bryce be good at it as well._

_Just a few words of caution. We're soon going to separately meet Chuck's parents. They will be nothing like the Steven and Mary Bartowski from the show. You definitely won't like Mary. You may like Steven, eventually. But let's get real. His wife left him twenty some years ago. Fifty year old men need sex too._

_We met a new character last chapter. Anyone who has read all of my stories (and if you haven't, WTF? I normally would have said WTH, but this story is rated M, lol.) knows that I love the idea of an ordinary and underestimated person stepping up and becoming an unlikely hero. Angel (remember her?), Janice, Elise, Heather, Misty… welcome Dr. Joan Cole to your exclusive club._

_If you enjoyed this or any of the stories on this site, please take a second and send the author a review. It only takes a second – and it really, really makes a difference. That's probably more important than ever now that the series has ended. If you want to keep the Chuck fandom alive and continue to read about these characters, you really need to think about rewarding the people whose hard work make that possible._

**Old Men Need Loving Too**

x-x-x-x-x

Bryce Larkin wasn't stupid. He knew damn well how the game was played. The CIA was totally for the CIA. There was no sense in wasting any time wishing it was different. That's just the way it was. There was simply no room for compromises made to silly notions like scruples, or friendship, or loyalty. The only way to survive dealing with them for any length of time was to always have something they wanted. That's the part that Sarah never seemed to get. She was naïve, thought that everyone was simply working for the greater good. She actually thought that consistently completing her assignments, killing the bad guys that they wanted her to kill, made her valuable. Bryce knew that being valuable wasn't nearly good enough. You had to be indispensable.

So when you found that particular something that they needed, you hid it from them. You guarded it, you protected it. After all, to survive, you also simply had no room for compromises made to silly notions like scruples, or friendship, or loyalty. It was just the undeniable reality of life as a spy.

Joan Cole didn't understand any of that, in fact had never thought about it in that way. She worked for the same CIA he did. But it was a totally different deal for her. Her goal was not wealth, or glory, or power, it was the pure joy of solving problems. And the CIA gave her tools and money and support. All they asked for was her to solve unsolvable problems like any civilian company would. It's just that with the CIA, the stakes were higher, but then again, so were the perks. It was a good deal for both sides.

Joan sensed this was true but she maybe hadn't thought through all of the implications just yet, had intentionally put off thinking about it. The plain truth was that, for better or worse, the life she had previously known ended today on that desk. She couldn't believe her good luck. This afternoon had been unbelievable, the most electric moment of her life. She really didn't have anything to compare it to. Fucking some guy on the desk in her office wasn't something that she could have even imagined in her wildest fantasies before today. And okay, yes, she could have maybe eventually sold herself that this afternoon was just a mistake, a temporary lapse in judgment caused by, oh I don't know, maybe hormonal imbalance. That seemed to work as an excuse for a lot of people.

But any opportunity for selling herself on a possible self defense rationalization disappeared the second that she knocked on his hotel room door. There was really no question but that she would show up tonight as he asked earlier this afternoon. She couldn't have stayed away if her very life depended on it. Joan really wasn't sure that she believed in love, much less love at first sight. She wondered all afternoon if she could really be in love with this bad boy. It was a tough question. It couldn't be ruled out. Joan had never been in love, really didn't know what it felt like. And the things she had read or heard about the subject frankly didn't sound all that attractive. Love made you do crazy things. All she did know was that she was in this thing way over her head, was totally under his spell, and would be powerless to deny him anything that he asked her. She had just proved that conclusively, right?

Giving him the Intersect glasses they had prepared for Bartowski was a major break of the protocol that had been established for handling such a potentially dangerous asset, one that could land her in a lot of hot water someday. And that paled compared to giving him the unprotected set that he asked for, the one that would work on anybody. He totally ignored her concerns about the possible side effects, that the Intersect 2.0 had never been tested on a live subject, and that this was a risky proposition at best. It really didn't matter. No threat of trouble could keep her from this feeling. For the first time in her life, Dr. Joan Cole was allowing her heart to rule. Was it love? Impossible to say. But she decided that it really didn't matter anymore. She was going to give him total control, surrender to the sensation, and live with the consequences later.

And he clearly wasn't about to make this easy on her, was going to make her prove that she understood who was firmly in charge. She had honestly never stripped for a man's entertainment before. It was like an out-of-body experience. But she found that his boyish smile as he sat there calmly and instructed her on which piece of clothing to slowly remove next was hypnotic until she stood there naked in front of him waiting calmly for his next instruction. It came quickly and would have caused her to explode from embarrassment yesterday. Sure, it was something she had done plenty of times, but always in the dark, and certainly not in front of someone. But the feeling was so intense that she found performing for him was making her knees so weak that she could barely stand.

But that was nothing like the sensation when he stood in front of her, put his hands on her shoulders, and gently but firmly wordlessly pushed her to her knees. It was clear what he wanted. It was something she had only attempted once before in her life, then only as a reluctant birthday present for her only boyfriend. And then she only agreed mainly to stop his annoying begging. Frankly she had always found the thought semi-disgusting… until now. Now she was just consumed with the thought of pleasing him. She could feel the electricity flow between them. With each of her long, slow strokes she found him growing just a bit harder in her mouth. His hands were tangled in her hair firmly guiding her movements. She surrendered control to him as he slowly pushed her to go just a little deeper each time.

Even that amazing feeling quickly paled when he picked her up and placed her on the bed. Then he pulled her knees apart, took her hand, and guided it between her legs as he slowly undressed. She could feel the tingle of anticipation as she lay there on that far too soft hotel bed with her knees in the air, waiting for him. When he finally gently pulled her hand out of the way, took its place and pushed into her, she was totally consumed. She had no choice but to lie there helplessly while his powerful thrusts created the electricity flowing between them that simply overwhelmed her senses.

Bryce was busy studying her face as she lay under him with her eyes closed. Joan was so easy. She wasn't really all that good of a fuck, far too passive for his tastes, a thirty something woman who's career was her life, had never done anything wild. It was a classic stereotype. In fact she was almost too easy. Bryce preferred a challenge, a conquest. Now Sarah had been a challenge, still was, actually one that he was eager to tackle once again, perhaps with a little more success this time. In fact they had somewhat of unfinished business. It was no secret what she owed him. When she finally paid her debt by surrendering her panties to him in the broad daylight and willingly hit her knees like she just had with Chuck last night, then maybe they would be even. But he needed Joan, for now. So thinking of Sarah would only lead this session to a premature ending, one he couldn't afford tonight. That would probably be okay in normal circumstances. He could tell that she was already getting close to the edge.

But that wouldn't do. He didn't want her to climax so soon. So he forced the image of a naked and completely submissive Sarah on that plane last night out of his mind and slowed down to make this last as long as possible for her. He needed to make this a life experience. Fortunately he was something of an expert at knowing how to take a mark to the very brink, back off for a moment, and repeat the process a few times until her nerves were on the edge and she was begging him for release. Her orgasm needed to be an explosion that she had never before experienced even in her wildest dreams, an instant addiction, something that she would gladly perform any task he would lay out for her to get from him again.

And Bryce definitely had a task in mind. This was going to work out well for everybody. He had sounded so depressed when they talked on the phone this afternoon. And why wouldn't he be? Poor bastard probably couldn't remember the last time he got laid. That was something that simply needed to be fixed. Not only was his depression getting in the way of his research, providing him with a source of regular sex would make him dependant on Bryce. And Bryce certainly liked it when people were dependant upon him. It made things… easier. And since this man represented that thing that the CIA needed most, well, easier was good.

It was a hard sell at first. He was a proud man, a little old fashioned, not only that, a hopeless romantic. In fact, he was probably the last person emotionally who should have gotten involved with the spy business. So setting him up for a meaningless romp in the sack wasn't all that attractive to him. Bryce had to spend some time talking him into it. And it wasn't all lie. He and Joan actually would have a lot in common. Okay, maybe the bit about how liberal she was sexually, how she was looking forward to meeting a hero of hers, and especially how she was looking forward to them fucking tomorrow more than he was may have been an… embellishment.

Speaking of that, maybe it was time to test his latest recruit. Bryce stopped his thrusts until she noticed and opened her eyes to look at him in dismay. "How's it going?" he asked playfully. "Do you want to do something else?"

It took Joan a long moment to realize that he was asking her something. She couldn't believe the question. "Please don't stop," she whispered.

"What do you want me to do?" Bryce said with a grin. "Tell me."

"Keep going."

Bryce shook his head. "Sorry," he said. "That's not good enough. Tell me what you want me to do."

Joan was desperate to tell him what he wanted to hear, anything to get him to put out the fire that was raging in her loins. At first she didn't even know what he wanted her to say, because it was language that she would never normally use. Then it hit her. "Fuck me, Bryce."

"Better," Bryce said with a playful grin. "Nice girls say please."

"Please." It was no more than a whisper.

"Now together. Sell it to me."

Joan paused for a just second. But she quickly decided that a little groveling would be a small price to pay. "Please. Fuck me, Bryce. I need this. Please."

Bryce started to slowly resume his efforts. "Who do you belong to?" he asked. "Tell me."

There was no question what he wanted to hear this time. "I belong to you," she quickly said. And it was true. She maybe didn't understand why. But it was clearly true that she did. She now belonged to him. And he clearly knew it as well as she did. Trying to deny it would be pointless. And the amazing thing was she had no desire to deny it. She knew that this bad boy would never be hers. She would never be able to expect monogamy from him, much less an engagement ring. But that didn't matter. What she could expect was the incredible electric tingle currently flowing from her loins. That was their unspoken deal. And it was more than enough. In fact, the thought sent one extra thrill through her, already on edge, body. She totally belonged to Bryce Larkin. God help her.

"Do you want me to go harder?"

"Yes."

"Tell me."

The surrender was now complete. Joan couldn't believe the words were actually coming out of her mouth. She never talked like this. But she also knew that she meant them with every fiber. "Fuck me harder," she moaned as she squirmed under him. "I'm completely yours. Please, Bryce, fuck me harder."

It was time for her reward, so Bryce slowly but steadily picked up the intensity until she was moaning again. He watched in amusement as her body tensed when the massive orgasm hit. It seemed like an hour that she thrashed helplessly while spasm after spasm racked her. Now that his work was done, it wasn't all that hard for him to pretend that it was Sarah lying there helplessly moaning and he quickly felt the tightening of his own climax.

It was now plain to anybody who had been paying the least bit of attention. It had actually worked out just as it almost always did. Joan Cole was now his property for as long as he wanted. And even though he was in a hurry to get to Hawaii, this was worth the small investment of a fuck or three. She belonged to him mind, body, and soul. It was now time for his newest soldier's first assignment.

Yup, this was going to work out well for everyone.

x-x-x-x-x

Sarah Bartowski had never been close to this happy. She honestly was so happy she didn't know how to handle it. It had been a magical honeymoon so far, and it was still only mid-afternoon of the first day. True to his word, as soon as they woke up from their nap Chuck went down to the shops with her to pick out new bathing suits. And maybe she was just teasing about picking out the skimpiest ones she could find, but the bikini they finally settled on for her couldn't have possibly been mistaken for modest. She let him off the hook a little and allowed him to choose a more conservative model, with the compromise that he wouldn't wear a shirt.

Sarah wasn't so sure when Chuck said that he wanted to get a haircut. She simply loved his curls. Fortunately, they survived the barber's efforts. And Sarah had to admit, he looked even sexier with shorter hair. Now she just had to keep the other women from noticing.

Then it was time for lunch. There was this place right across the street from the hotel that advertised the world's best cheeseburgers. And since a sloppy cheeseburger with extra pickles was Sarah's favorite, that was a no-brainer choice. 'World's best' might have been a stretch. But they definitely hit the spot.

But the highlight of the day so far was clearly the beach. Sarah had never been to the beach before as an adult. It had always been Agent Walker. So she had to give herself something of a pep talk. _Don't constantly look around for threats. Relax and have fun with your sexy husband._ She wasn't Chuck's bodyguard anymore. Fulcrum was crushed. The last of the Elders was probably being picked up as she rubbed sun block on his back. Okay, maybe she wasn't his bodyguard, but did that mean she should let him get sunburned? Wives had responsibilities too.

Sarah was maybe a little surprised that she didn't have to make much of an effort to talk him into playing beach volleyball with her. But she was totally surprised at how good of a player he was. It turned out that Jill had been quite the volleyball player at Stanford and made him join a mixed couple's league with her. He grinned when he told her the story of how good of a motivator Jill was, said something about a unique incentive system she had worked out to get a high level of play out of him. That's really as much as Sarah wanted to know. But she did let him know, in no uncertain terms, that whatever incentives Jill had worked out, she would double down. That quickly shut him up.

Wherever he had acquired his skills, with Chuck dominating the net and Sarah flying all over the sand setting him, they quickly found themselves unbeatable. They methodically racked up ten victories in a row. Chuck was starting to wear down a little after the tenth win. He gently suggested that maybe it was time to lose on purpose so they could get off the court, check out the water, and maybe have a drink or two. What he didn't count on was how competitive his new bride was. So that idea was quickly vetoed.

But soon even Sarah was beginning to see his point. They had played for a couple of hours straight now. And she knew that if she worked him much harder, it might negatively impact his performance later tonight in that giant poster bed. That wouldn't do… at all. There was only one couple who was able to give them anything close to a competitive game. Josh and Joey Patterson from Minnesota was a newlywed couple on their honeymoon as well. They seemed nice enough. So the next time they were up Sarah stated that this would be their last game. If they won, they would retire undefeated and pass the torch to the Pattersons.

"How would you like to make this interesting?" Joey, a perky brunette with long tanned legs and an even skimpier bikini than Sarah asked as she tossed Sarah the ball to serve. "I think we might have a chance this time. It looks like Chuck is beginning to fatigue a little."

Sarah wasn't much of a gambler. But anyone who would dare question her new husband in any way… "What do you have in mind?" she asked.

"Loser buys dinner and drinks for the entire evening," Joey said quickly. "No limits. I'm talking live lobster at the seafood restaurant."

Sarah had to admit that she already had definite plans to dine at the restaurant Joey was referring to sometime soon. Lobster was her clear favorite. She glanced over at Chuck and saw him shrug his shoulders in a matter that plainly said this was up to her. Still she wasn't all that keen on having dinner with another couple, especially tonight. For one thing, she didn't like the way Joey was staring at Chuck's ass when she thought Sarah wasn't looking. But what could it hurt? There would be plenty of time to get Chuck all to herself. Even Sarah knew that they couldn't really spend the whole two weeks having sex. And a few free drinks might just loosen him up a little. Well, actually the entire trip, including the drinks, was already free. But these free drinks would be even sweeter. Besides, making some new friends was a nice normal thing. Maybe it was time to let Chuck know that she was willing to work at being normal.

Then Joey made her mistake. "You're not chicken?" she suggested with a grin.

Of course Joey had no way of knowing how competitive Sarah was. So that sealed the deal. "You're on," she quickly said as she held up the ball ready to serve. Naturally her first jump serve was a screamer down the line for an ace.

"Nice thinking," Josh said to his 'wife' so that only she could hear. "All this is going to cost us is an ass kicking and a lobster dinner. Larkin will be pleased."

Joey leaned in to give her 'husband' a consoling kiss. "This is what I get for working with a gay partner," she whispered teasingly. "If you'd maybe get your eyes on the fucking ball for two seconds and off of his ass, we might actually have a shot. Larkin said to make friends with them and gain their trust, not to be their door mat."

"What's the fun in that?" Josh replied softly with a grin as he helplessly watched another sizzling serve land down the line. Sarah had plainly been holding back before. "You have to admit, it's a nice ass."

"It's a very nice ass," she was forced to agree. "Hers actually isn't all that bad either. Our regular bet that I get an up close and personal look at what's making that bulge in his suit before the two weeks are over."

"You're on," Josh said playfully as he watched the next serve scream past her diving attempt for a third straight ace and went to help her up. "The way she's watching his every move? You'd have a better chance at getting me naked than him. So what are you crying about anyway? Losing a game? We didn't stand a chance anyway, especially after you pissed her off."

Joey still wasn't quite ready to give up. And she was actually able to dive and get a hand on Sarah's next screaming serve, but not even close to being able to play it. "Damn," she muttered under her breath. "What is this girl, a machine?"

Josh knew his partner and how competitive she could be. But this was hopeless. If she was going to show this Sarah who was boss, she was going to have to find something other than volleyball. So he went to help her up again. "Don't worry," he said with a laugh at her growing frustration.

"I'll spring for the dinner."

x-x-x-x-x

Joan wasn't a stupid person. In fact she was brilliant. So she immediately recognized what he was doing. And she called him on it. "Bryce," she said as they lay there catching their breath and cuddling, naked except for a single sheet. "You know that I'm not a field agent. You're testing me, right?"

Joan maybe wasn't a field agent. But she worked for the same agency in a management position. She had certainly heard the rumors and all of the wild stories whispered in the lunch room of the seduction missions that the female agents were expected to perform.

Bryce made no attempt to deny that he was testing her. But he did flash 'the smile' at her. "You work for the CIA," he said. "You know how these things work. Everyone is tested in some way. I'm an agent. I can't be a normal boyfriend. I can only be with someone who is a partner, someone that I trust completely. Maybe I'm assuming too much. I thought that you wanted…"

"I do want that," she quickly interrupted. "Come on, Bryce. You have to know that I do. It's just… I've never done anything like this before. Do I really have to make love with him?"

Bryce reached down to kiss her. "Of course not," he said. "I don't want you to make love with him, not ever. That would make me jealous. I want you to fuck him. I want you to play a role, give this man the time of his life, and make him believe that you're his willing plaything for two weeks. I want you to do every single thing that you just did for me. And every time you're doing those things, I want you to pretend that he is me. Now tell me what you're going to do."

Yesterday, the thought of sex with a stranger would have been disgusting. But now she could feel the fire beginning to build again. Well, maybe his finger that was not so gently stroking her hot button had a little to do with it. But she also had to admit, the idea wasn't nearly as repulsive as it had been ten minutes ago. "I guess that I'm going to fuck him," she sighed.

"No," Bryce corrected with a kiss. "You can't guess. You have to know. I need a partner who is all in. And you don't get it. You're not going to be fucking him. You're going to be fucking me. You're just going to be using his body. When I get back, I want a detailed report of every orgasm we've given each other through him. Can you do that for me?"

Joan knew that she really had no choice. After all, he was holding all the cards. Even though he hadn't said it quite so plainly, the implication was clear. This was her test. It was either perform this task for him, and probably much more in the future, or lose him. But she found herself quickly almost panicked. She couldn't lose him, not so soon. "What am I supposed to say to him?" she asked softly. "Hi, my name is Joan. Let's fuck?"

Bryce laughed. "You may not think that would work," he said. "But it would." Then he reached down to kiss her again. "Don't worry," he said. "He is expecting you to be nervous. He knows that you're not an agent. He wouldn't want sex from an agent. He'll make it easy for you. And it doesn't have to be all sex. You two have a ton in common. You head the Intersect Project. Well he invented it."

That got her attention. "He invented the Intersect?" she asked, suddenly interested. Joan didn't know much about the history of the project. It was never talked about. She had always assumed that the Intersect was born from some government program spawned during the cold war. "I have no idea who invented the Intersect. Why haven't I heard of him?"

Bryce didn't answer her question. He knew that this next part was important. She couldn't scare him away. "There are some unbreakable ground rules here," he said. "He knows that you and I are with the CIA. He's not too fond of the agency. He has his own reasons. Knowing him I'm sure he'll tell you all about it. But there will be no attempt to recruit him or to get him to help with your project in any way. General discussion is okay, he'll like that. But he would be offended if he felt like you were playing him to get his help. He's not crazy about the government's plans to use his invention as a weapon."

"I'm actually not all that crazy about that part either," Joan sighed. "What is his name?"

"Steven," Bryce said. "Steven Bartowski." Then responding to her amazed look, "yes," he said. "You've heard the name. He's Chuck's father. That's the other ground rule. He doesn't know that his son is the Intersect. They haven't talked to each other in many years. He definitely wouldn't take that news very well at all. So you can't tell him. It also goes without saying that you can't tell anybody back at the office about this."

Joan just buried her face into his chest for a long time, shifted her hips to give him a better angle, and allowed his finger to do its intended magic. Like she was going to tell people back at work that was now the girlfriend of a bad boy field agent, had just broken virtually every rule of professional conduct one could imagine, had come to the very edge of committing treason, and now was about to throw herself at and fuck a mark old enough to be her dad in every position either could think of nonstop for the next two weeks. Not very likely. No one would believe her anyway. "Chuck Bartowski's father?" she asked. "Just how old is this guy anyway?"

"Does that really matter?" he asked with a smile as he kissed her again. "Old men need loving too, right?"

Bryce looked at her clearly writhing next to him. She plainly needed round two to start soon. "I need you, Joan," he said gently. "Can I count on you? Are you all in on us? Are you my girl? My partner?"

Joan didn't answer for a long while. She was now the girlfriend of a CIA Agent. At least that part was incredibly exciting. "I'll do it," she finally said. "I'll do my best."

"That's my girl," Bryce said as he kissed her more urgently and removed his finger. "This is going to be an exciting assignment for you. I know it. Do you have any vacation time? When I get back, we'll go someplace together. Venice is lovely this time of year. Have you ever been?"

Joan was currently on fire again. So she really wasn't in a mood to talk about vacation plans. But that was more like it. She actually had tons of vacation time accrued. She had never been on a vacation before, or for that matter, even been out of the country. Maybe this spy girlfriend thing wouldn't be so bad. But right now she needed something else from him. That thing that he had proven to be oh so good at. "That sounds like fun," she said. Of course she had no way of knowing that Bryce had zero intention of actually ever paying off. "But first can we…"

Bryce's grin turned boyish again as her shy voice trailed off. They both knew what she wanted. And she had earned it. But she had to learn her place. There was no way she was going to get away with not begging for it a little. "Pretend I'm him," he said. "Smile at him and tell him what you want. Make him believe it."

Dr. Cole was nothing if not a quick learner. She knew exactly what he was demanding from her. It was now official. So the submissive smile as she accepted his terms was, perhaps not enthusiastic, but it was more or less genuine. "I want you to fuck me," she said softly. "Please, Steven. I'm on fire here. I really need you to fuck me."

"That's my girl," Bryce said as he moved to give his new 'girlfriend' her second reward tonight and third inside of ten hours. "You're doing a very good thing here, Joan. This is something that we'll really be able to use in the future. I'm proud of you. Remember, when I get back I want a detailed report of every time with him."

Joan was already moaning as he began to pick up the pace. She was a scientist. But she was also an administrator. She was very good at creating reports. "Okay, Bryce," she whispered. "Anything you want."

Bryce Larkin was the consummate planner. That's how he had survived so long in a business with a very short life expectancy. But like almost every spy, his fatal mistake was something that he couldn't have anticipated. Bryce's mistake was something that sounded like a very good idea at the time. But introducing Joan Cole and Steven Bartowski was about to put a chain of events into motion that nobody could have possibly predicted.

It would literally change the world, including his.

x-x-x-x-x


	29. Making New Friends

_I still don't own Chuck._

_If you enjoyed this or any of the stories on this site, please take a second and send the author a review. It only takes a second – and it really, really makes a difference. That's probably more important than ever now that the series has ended. If you want to keep the Chuck fandom alive and continue to read about these characters, you really need to think about rewarding the people whose hard work make that possible._

**Making New Friends**

x-x-x-x-x

Sarah had to admit. The evening was going a lot better than she expected so far. Maybe this 'making normal friends' thing wasn't so bad after all. She hadn't even caught Joey checking out Chuck's ass once. Of course she had no way of knowing that Josh and Joey had given each other firm pep talks in their room about staying professional and keeping their respective eyes, and their mitts, off of Chuck until they had won Sarah's confidence. After all, this was an assignment.

The meal was simply exquisite. Lobster was Sarah's favorite anyway. And the ones they were served were humongous. Naturally, all of the accompaniments were just as fabulous, including Sarah's beloved twice baked potato. Of course that's what you would expect from such a high-end five star restaurant, right?

The conversation was, perhaps not exquisite, but also not half bad. It turned out that off the volleyball court Josh and Joey could be quite charming, even funny. And with Chuck by her side taking care of being funny enough for both of them, Sarah just had to laugh at the appropriate times, relax, and enjoy herself.

And she did find that she was enjoying herself. Sarah's original plan was to, perhaps not rush through dinner but certainly not to dawdle over it, and then excuse themselves for some alone time discovering what else the poster bed in their room had to offer besides a place to take a nap. But when Josh suggested that they go dancing for a while, well that was hard for Sarah to say no to. Chuck perhaps wasn't quite as enthusiastic, but he loved to see Sarah have fun.

And even he finally had to admit. He was having fun as well. It wasn't unusual to expect Sarah to be in her element on the dance floor. But tonight was amazing. Sarah Bartowski no longer had any reason to hold anything back. It was hard to look at her face and see the pure joy being displayed there without it making him feel great. Well, that may not have been totally accurate. It wasn't hard, it was impossible. She loosened up so much that she even insisted that he dance with Joey… once.

And actually Sarah and Joey were hitting it off. It felt so great to have a normal girlfriend. For rather obvious reasons, neither Laura nor Carina could really qualify as normal. Ellie was the closest thing Sarah had ever had to a normal friend, but she was thousands of miles away. Not only was Joey fun to be around, she was great to dance with when the guys needed breaks. And as an added bonus, she was proving to be just as competitive as Sarah was… and that was saying something.

In fact, Joey's eyes were gleaming when they finally got back to their table to rejoin the guys for a much needed break. "You have to give me a chance to get even for this volleyball embarrassment," she said, shouting to be heard over the wild beat of the music.

Sarah wasn't in a mood to back down from anybody. "What do you have in mind?" she shouted with her own grin firmly in place.

Joey motioned to the waitress. "Simple," she said. "We each line up five shots of tequila. Last one finished loses."

It maybe wasn't volleyball, but drinking shots was another of Sarah's talents. "What are we betting?" she asked with a grin.

Joey grinned back. "Sex," she said. Off Sarah's surprised look, she continued as her grin got even bigger. "The loser has to sit on her husband's lap right here and make out with him for five minutes with no limits on where he puts his hands. And then when they're back up in the room later…" Joey leaned in to whisper the last part of the bet into her ear.

Sarah looked around the room. They were in perhaps the honeymoon capital of the world. There were clearly many newlywed couples here. And there was more than a little necking currently taking place at several tables, some of it clearly rounding second base. But she didn't want to agree to any bet that could affect Chuck without his okay. She knew that he was fairly sensitive to PDA. And she was positive that he wouldn't feel her up here in public. So she was a tad surprised that when she glanced over at him, his calm smile and shrug again told her that this was her decision.

"Chicken," Joey asked with an even broader grin, knowing full well that was a hot button.

"You're on," Sarah said with her own grin. "With you already buying the drinks tonight, this is a bet I can't possibly lose. Even if I come in second, I win."

When Josh leaned over to playfully whisper something into his 'wife's' ear, she was grinning broadly. But when he was finished, she was giggling uncontrollably at his mostly tongue in cheek warning.

"You'd better fucking win. If I'm forced to make out with you, you're going home without your bra."

x-x-x-x-x

Joan took a deep soothing breath just before she knocked on the door. It was an odd feeling. To say that she was looking forward to this would be way too much of an overstatement. But the truth was there was also a definite tingle in her stomach, or if she were to be totally honest, about a foot lower.

Intellectually, Joan knew what the feeling was. She had taken enough psychology classes at Duke to understand the thrill of the adventure of meaningless sex without guilt. She was about to play a role, live with no consequences, break out of the rules of conduct she had established for herself.

That started with her clothes. Bryce insisted that she dress in a very specific way. He called it the seduction uniform. The shear white blouse that he instructed her to go out and buy at lunch was something that she never would have normally worn in public. It very clearly showed the outline of her chest.

But she also recognized that the main reason she was excited had nothing to do with the psychology classes. She was doing something for her new boyfriend. She was going to fuck this guy for him. She was going to get to use him in any way she saw fit while pretending he was Bryce. And for the first time in her life, she was going to be able to enjoy herself with some cheap sex without any guilt.

After all, this guy didn't deserve any empathy. An old fart who was just looking to get laid, any way he could… by someone just a little over half his age. How disgusting, pathetic, perverted, even sick was that? She would have to work hard to not allow that disgust to show. After all, that would defeat the purpose, right?

But all those harsh thoughts popped like a water balloon hitting the pavement as soon as he opened the door.

He wasn't anything like Joan was expecting. For one thing, he didn't look all that old. He could easily pass for forty, well early forties anyway. And since she looked older when she wanted to, they could pass for a couple with no problem. But that wasn't the main reason. Joan looked into his eyes and saw something there. And in fairness, the eyes were the first thing that she noticed about Bryce as well. But there was no comparing Bryce to Steven, in fact they were exact opposites. Where Bryce's eyes were electric beacons that pierced through you and made you feel vulnerable and naked, Steven's eyes were like huge pools that simply made you feel comfortable, eyes you could get lost in, eyes that instantly told you that this was someone you could trust.

Joan was stuck looking into his eyes for so long that the silence was becoming noticeable. So she stuck out her hand. "Hi, Steven," she said with a smile that was suddenly genuine. "I'm Joan. It's nice to meet you."

Then he did it. He smiled at her, that bashful smile. Sure he was nervous, probably couldn't remember the last time he had been on a date. But it was completely disarming. "It's nice to meet you too, Joan," was all he said… with words anyway.

She was staring at him for so long that it was again becoming noticeable. Finally she broke the silence. "Are you ready?" she asked. "I have a cab waiting." Joan quickly realized that her 'assignment' had just gotten a whole lot tougher. He had said a grand total of seven words to her so far. But she already knew that there was simply no way to throw her body at and fuck into submission this nice guy while pretending that he was Bryce Larkin. No way.

Fortunately he quickly let her off the hook. "I'm sorry that I'm being so quiet," he said as soon as they were comfortably in the cab. "It's just… Joan, I have to admit that I'm a little taken aback. I honestly wasn't expecting you to be so beautiful. It's pretty intimidating."

Joan perhaps wasn't very experienced at this sort of thing. But even she realized with another guy, in another place, that would have been a clichéd pickup line designed to separate her from her panties sometime later in the evening. But by some sense she also recognized that there was nothing fake here, he honestly meant it. She could feel the red rising up her neck. For some reason that those psychology classes at Duke couldn't begin to explain, it felt wonderful. Joan was frankly surprised at how great that throw away compliment made her feel. "Thanks," she said. "That's sweet of you to say. There is no reason to be intimidated. You're looking very dapper as well." She also meant it. His shirt and tie were perhaps a little more casual than the seduction uniform she was wearing. But they looked totally the part of a couple out for a first dinner date.

"Look," Steven said, clearly keeping his voice low so the driver wouldn't be able to hear. "I don't quite know how to say this. I understand what Bryce told me about tonight. I just want you to know that I don't expect… um, anything. I'm… Joan, I'm just not that guy. I hope you're not offended."

Not that he needed it, but Steven Bartowski's stock had just risen about a gazillion points. His bashful rambling was so cute. Suddenly she was embarrassed. This nice sweet man thought that she was here on basically an assignment to repeatedly fuck him senseless. Why wouldn't he? Ten minutes ago it would have been the truth. That's clearly the picture that Bryce had painted for him. He thought that she was a slut, maybe even a pro; probably assumed that she did this sort of thing all the time.

It wouldn't be appropriate here in the cab, but she made a mental note to make sure that she corrected the record sometime during the evening. "Don't worry, Steven," she said as she touched his arm. "I'm not offended at all. We're going to dinner. Let's just have fun and see where the evening takes us without any expectations getting in the way, okay?"

Steven nodded.

"Besides," Joan continued, suddenly struck by the ridiculousness of the current conversation. "The nicer restaurants actually frown on that sort of thing."

She probably couldn't have said anything better to get him over being nervous. It got them both laughing and totally broke the tension. "You know what?" he said in mock seriousness. "It's been a long time, but I do think that I remember something about that."

That got them laughing even harder. Suddenly for the first time, Joan was honestly looking forward to tonight more than she ever though possible.

x-x-x-x-x

Chuck and Sarah finally stumbled into their room, lips firmly attached to each other. Both were feeling very little pain. Chuck could feel the definite buzz from the many drinks they had tipped up all evening but it was magnified by the taste of tequila from her mouth during the making out session in the club. Sarah was perhaps a little more accustomed to handling her liquor than he was, but she had matched him drink for drink all night and had five shots of tequila on top.

"Tell me the truth," Chuck said with a grin as the latest long kiss broke and they fell unto the bed. "You lost on purpose, right?"

For some reason that even she couldn't explain, that struck Sarah as funny. So all she could do was shake her head in the negative for a long time. "That girl can really drink," she was finally able to stop giggling long enough to get out. "You didn't seem to be complaining during the make out session." In fact he surprised her. Not only did he fully participate with the tongues dancing with gusto, his palm actually made contact with her breast more than once.

"Hey, you lost," Chuck said. "Don't bet things that you're not willing to lose. Besides, if I ever complain about making out with you, get a DNA sample and run tests. Someone has taken over my body."

Again, for some reason that struck Sarah as hilariously funny. "I know just how to get the sample," she said as she ran her hand suggestively up the inside of his thigh until she was tugging at his zipper. "Besides, who said anything about not being willing to lose?"

Chuck could only sit on the bed and watch her giggle helplessly. "Speaking of losing, are you going to tell me what the other part of the bet was?" he finally was able to ask.

"That's the best part," Sarah was finally able to get out. "The loser can't use the missionary position for the whole night. She figured that would force us into some, umm, alternative activities. The joke's on her. Now I have an excuse to try some new things." Of course she didn't realize that Joey wasn't about to use the missionary position tonight either, for an entirely different reason, but still.

"Josh wants us to go with them tomorrow," Chuck said to change the subject and get out of her teasing gloat more than anything. "They rented a car. They heard about a private beach about an hour's drive away. There's also some jungle to explore."

"What did you tell him?"

"I told him I'd talk to you," Chuck said. "I know that you were looking forward to a lot of alone time for these two weeks."

"I think it would be okay," Sarah said. "We're going to have plenty of time to be alone. So as long as it's something that you want to do, I'm fine with it. I mean we're going to the beach anyway, right? We might as well go to a more private one. And we do get along with them, don't we?"

Chuck was more than a little surprised at her agreement. "They're nice enough," he said. "I'm glad that you made a friend. I think that's healthy."

Suddenly Sarah sounded a lot more sober. "Do you think that she's pretty?" she asked.

Chuck thought for a moment on how to answer her. She was pretty drunk so she might not hear him properly. And this was important that she understand. He decided on the absolute truth. "Of course I think she's pretty," he said. "She is more than pretty… until she is standing next to you. Compared to the most beautiful woman in the whole world she looks sorta plain."

That got back the grin. "Wow," she said. "Mr. Bartowski, I simply have to tell you something. If I only had a dollar for every time I've heard a pickup line from a man who thought he was smooth and was trying to get me naked. They always struck out… until now. That one just got you lucky."

Chuck just laughed. "Um," he said. "It's probably not so impressive. I think I could have read some names out of the phone book as my pickup line and still got lucky tonight."

"Okay," she said with a grin. "You called me on that one." Sarah pressed her lips to his once again. She still tasted like tequila.

"You're absolutely right."

x-x-x-x-x

Joan knew that she was dreaming. It was like floating on a cloud, warm and safe. When she finally decided to open her eyes, she found herself lying in a strange bed. She was on top of the covers still fully clothed. A comforter was pulled up to neck.

When she sat up, full memory came rushing back. She must have fallen asleep on him, probably in mid sentence. _He must think that I'm a wimp._ She plopped back down on the bed as she ran through the events of the magical evening in her mind. They had such a great time at dinner. As it turned out, once he was comfortable, Steven was simply the funniest man she had ever met. He kept her laughing all night. It was something that she discovered was missing from her life, the pure joy of laughing.

After dinner they went back to his place. He was a master engineer and inventor and she was an engineer and research scientist. So predictably the conversation quickly turned to their main mutual passion. At first, by unspoken agreement, they avoided the topic of the Intersect. He told her the amazing story of how Ted Roark stole his plans when they were roommates in college and made billions off of them. He pulled out some of his old specs and they went over them. He was clearly happy to have someone to talk to who was genuinely interested in this stuff. She hoped that he wouldn't take offense when she gently pointed out some areas that might be improved. Fortunately, instead of taking offense, she must have impressed him. Because it wasn't very long at all before he pulled out the binders that contained the specs for his version of the intersect.

She knew from Bryce that he had a fair amount of resentment towards the CIA. So she spent a fair amount of time assuring him. Yes, she worked for the CIA. Yes, it was possible that she would learn something from him that might help her, and hence them. But she wasn't an agent, had the same concerns about using their research as a weapon that he did, was just as in love with the science as he was, and respected it as much as he did. She promised him that she would never mention him at work.

Steven listened to her rant patiently. Then he flashed her that smile, the one that said she had just wasted her breath and that he had already decided he could trust her. Then he pointed to a problem area in the specs.

That part was simply fascinating. Of course there were some parts of the design that she recognized. But there were other parts that were totally new to her. The data architecture was totally different. In fact they had a bit of, not really an argument, but an animated discussion about it. It didn't take long at all for her to realize that Steven Bartowski was easily the smartest person she had ever met. But even when they were arguing she could see something in this man that made him different than anybody else. He was certainly passionate about this. He often thought that he was right, and he often was. But he wasn't a bit defensive. He always listened to her argument. And when he realized she was right, he said so with zero reservation.

Joan quickly realized that she was having fun, even more than fun. Sure, most people would look at what they were doing as work. But not Joan. She had finally found that person who was smarter than her. It was comforting and yet intoxicating at the same time.

Of course a problem like the Intersect was far to complex to solve in a single night, even for two people as brilliant as Joan and Steven. The last time she looked at the clock it was after three. That was the last thing she remembered.

When she walked out of the bedroom, Steven was at the kitchen table. He quickly poured her a cup of coffee. "Good morning," he said with a grin. "I've been thinking about your comments about the interleaved data flow. The idea is simply brilliant. I really think you're onto something. This could be the breakthrough I've been searching for. It's going to take a lot of work to flesh it out."

Joan took the coffee and sipped it gratefully. Fortunately she was very used to working all-nighters. That was a good thing since this was the second night in a row that she got very little sleep, obviously for different reasons. She stole a quick glance at the clock. She would have to hustle a little to get home, shower and change, and get to the office on time. "Did I fall asleep on you?" she asked, ignoring his compliment for the moment. "I'm sorry about that. You carried me to bed, didn't you? That was sweet."

"Don't be sorry," Steven said. "I wasn't about to let you sleep on my kitchen table. I'm the one who is sorry. It probably wasn't the most romantic date you've ever had. Would I lose any points if I admitted that you're not the first date to fall asleep on me?"

Joan smiled at his self-deprecating humor. He was worried about losing points? He had just earned another gazillion. But her smile wasn't entirely happy. She simply had to set the record straight. "You don't need to be sorry either," she said softly. "Romantic may not be the exact term I would use. But, Steven, I had the best time last night. It was pretty much the best night of my life."

That got the grin she had been looking for. "Mine too. Maybe we can do it again sometime?" he asked timidly.

Joan breathed a huge sigh of relief, grateful that he took the spear. She was wondering how to make the next date without sounding so much like the slut he already half expected. "Is tonight too soon?" she asked. Okay, so maybe she didn't care all that much about sounding too eager after all.

Steven's smile lit up the room. "Tonight would be great," he said. "How about I make dinner so we can be more casual? Do you like spaghetti? I have a secret sauce."

"I love spaghetti," Joan said. It was true. It was one of her favorite meals. She knew that maybe she should come across as not quite so eager here. She just couldn't help it. "I'll bring some wine."

"Six?" Steven asked.

Joan nodded. "Six would be great," she said. "I'll spend some time today thinking about the data flow issue. Maybe between us we can come up with a solution."

"That would be great," Steven said. But then his smile became a bit more serious. "Joan, I don't know how to say this without sounding odd. I know that I should tell you something about how beautiful you are, how your eyes light up the room, and how I find myself constantly staring at you. And those things are all true. But more than that, you're the smartest person I've ever met."

Joan gasped as she felt the blush already into her face. Odd? Maybe from someone else. But coming from him, it was also the nicest thing that anybody had ever said to her. "Wow," she said with a grin as she stepped up and kissed him. After all, he was clearly trying to decide if he should be so bold. She was the slut, right? And he took a spear for her just a minute ago. It was her turn. The bashful smile on his face plainly said that he was as grateful to her for taking that spear as she had just been. The kiss actually lasted more than a couple of beats longer than the kiss after a first date normally would, not that either was counting. She resisted the strong temptation to put her hands behind his head and really go for it. She knew where that would quickly lead and she didn't want to ruin this romantic moment between them by acting the slut. So she reluctantly broke the kiss. "Steven, that is without a doubt the nicest thing that anybody has ever said to me. I'll see you tonight. I'm really looking forward to it."

"Me too."

Isn't it funny how life works? As Joan left the house she made no attempt to suppress the silly contented grin that was currently plastered all over her face. She was simply bowled over by the irony. She had lived her life for years semi-happily without a boyfriend in it. Now she had landed two in as many days. And they couldn't possibly be more different.

Go figure.

x-x-x-x-x

Chuck found himself lying on his back when his eyes popped open. His blonde bride was snuggled firmly into his chest softly snoring. And actually, the heat of her body felt good. After all, they were both naked. The room was not exactly cold, but it was certainly a lot cooler than when they had finally collapsed last night. Then again, maybe that's because they had been sweating last night from the very physical, non-missionary position love making session, and frankly, too exhausted to reach down and pull the sheet over them anyway.

As long as he was awake anyway, Chuck might as well take advantage, right? For some reason that he couldn't explain, he always felt a little embarrassed looking at Sarah naked. He knew it was silly. She was his wife. She was begging him to let her do things to please him. Posing for his enjoyment was the bare minimum she would be willing to do. She gladly put on a show and stripped for him whenever he gave her the slightest indication he was in the mood. That always felt odd somehow. But when she was sleeping… that was different. Maybe it made him somewhat of a peeping Tom but he just loved looking at her. And she was perfect lying there snuggled into him. Her smooth white skin simply had no flaw. Her breast, nipple hardened by the cool room, was perfection personified. Her perfectly flat stomach, her long toned legs that ended at… Well, she was clearly the most beautiful woman in the world.

Suddenly, Chuck realized why he was awake in the first place. He could hear the rummaging out in the living room. He groaned when he looked at the clock. Eight was far too early for housekeeping to be here. Didn't they understand that this was their honeymoon? Sarah never got a chance to sleep in. He was going to make damn sure that she wasn't cheated out of it by some overzealous…

So he carefully rolled out of Sarah's embrace, got out of bed, gently pulled the sheet over her to keep her warm, found the sweatpants that usually served as his pajamas, and threw them on, fully intending on asking the housekeeper to come back at a more reasonable hour… like noon maybe.

But when Chuck opened the door, he was surprised to find that it wasn't housekeeping. In fact it was the last person he expected to see. He was so stunned that it took a long moment to say anything at all. Finally he found his voice.

"Bryce, what are you doing here?"

x-x-x-x-x


	30. Girlfriends, Wives, and Kept Women

_I still don't own Chuck._

_If you enjoyed this or any of the stories on this site, please take a second and send the author a review. It only takes a second – and it really, really makes a difference. That's probably more important than ever now that the series has ended. If you want to keep the Chuck fandom alive and continue to read about these characters, you really need to think about rewarding the people whose hard work make that possible._

**Girlfriends, Wives, and Kept Women**

x-x-x-x-x

_**Jennifer Bowles:** They're finally ready._

_**Alexi Volkoff:** Are you sure?_

_**Jennifer Bowles:** I'm sure. My contact at the CIA tells me they are ready to test. They have a candidate picked out._

_**Alexi Volkoff:** We need to have a little chat with this lucky individual. What is his name?_

_**Jennifer Bowles:** His name is Bryce Larkin. How do you think you're going to talk him into cooperating? These agent types don't pressure easily._

_**Alexi Volkoff:** Who said anything about easy? Trust me. This will be anything but easy. Leave that part to me. Your only job is to deliver Mr. Bryce Larkin to me. Do we understand each other?_

_**Jennifer Bowles:** Yes, of course. But let's not forget about our payment. Fulcrum isn't a charity. We expect four, twenty kiloton devices._

_**Alexi Volkoff:** Four? Our deal was for two. Nuclear weapons don't grow on trees._

_**Jennifer Bowles:** The price just went up. Alexi, face facts. I own this. And let's understand something. That means that I now own you. The Intersect 2.0 is more powerful than we expected. It's even better than a nuclear weapon. You can actually use it. I think it's in your best interest to stop arguing and agree before we find another buyer and my price goes even higher. Don't you?_

_**Alexi Volkoff:** I thought that we were friends._

**_Jennifer Bowles:_**_ We are friends, Alexi. Good friends. That's why I'm giving you the first shot at this. But this is business._

_**Alexi Volkoff:** Fine. Let me know when you have him._

_**Jennifer Bowles:** I'll be in touch._

Diane Beckman smiled as she read the transcript. Team Bartowski's mission in Vegas had just paid another dividend, a totally unexpected one. And to think, Bowles was the very last Elder she was going to have picked up. Now that could easily wait for a couple of weeks. All the other Elders were singing like canaries anyway. The best part was that since the Elders were so secretive, by the time Bowles found out that Fulcrum had ceased to exist, it would be far too late. Alexi Volkoff was a much bigger prize than even Fulcrum. If they could catch him in the act of actually transferring nuclear weapons to terrorists, even the massive political connections that had kept him untouchable for all of those years would no longer help him. They could end the bastard forever as a threat. And all it was going to cost her was a single agent, Bryce Larkin. That seemed like a very acceptable loss.

She didn't like the pretty boy act all that much anyway.

x-x-x-x-x

Chuck had only been staring at Bryce for about two seconds when Sarah came bounding angrily out of the bedroom with a knife in her hand and only the sheet wrapped around her. Well, mostly wrapped around her. In her haste to find out what was happening, she hadn't taken the time to ensure that both breasts were covered. And even that oversight really didn't matter all that much since the sheet was far too shear to actually hide anything anyway.

Sarah ignored the approving looks that Bryce was throwing her way. But she was clearly the only one ignoring it. It only took about a second for her to see the horror in Chuck's eyes. She realized immediately what that look meant and since Bryce probably didn't pose an imminent threat, she turned to head back in the bedroom to get some clothes on. "Don't you make a fucking move," she growled over her shoulder to Bryce. "I'll be right back."

"Well," Bryce said with a gloating smile. "That was a treat. You're a lucky man. The Mrs. still has quite the body."

Chuck ignored the clear gloat on his 'friend's' face. "Okay, Bryce," he said with no trace of humor. "Care to tell me why you're here? In our hotel room? During our honeymoon?"

Bryce clearly recognized the shot that had just landed between his eyes. Yes, they were married, on their honeymoon. _Let's see for how long_. "I brought you something," he said.

Chuck looked at the sunglasses that Bryce sat on the table. "No thanks," he said. "I already have sunglasses. Sarah picked them out for me when we were shopping for the negligee she wore last night." Okay, so that part was a lie designed to get under his skin. Sarah had already bought several negligees in Vegas shopping with Laura. As of yet, she hadn't bothered to put one on. A negligee was designed to set the mood. So far the mood had no need of being set. But the tightening in Bryce's jaw very plainly said without words that he had taken another direct hit.

"The glasses contain Intersect 2.0," Bryce said. "Put them on and it'll upload automatically."

"And why in the hell would he want to do that?" Sarah emerged from the bedroom, still fairly disheveled, wearing her clothes from last night… and a big, big frown. "When we get back, we're going to march into Beckman's office and tell her to go to hell together. You want an advance preview? Fine. Go to hell. Now get the fuck out of our room."

Bryce smiled at the memory of a pissed off Agent Walker. He had seen it more times than he could count. The plain truth was that she was never more sexy than when she was furious. Their hottest sex was always when she was pissed. The even better news was that she was fairly easy to piss off. "Just think about it," he said. "You don't have to decide anything today. You never know when it will come in handy."

Sarah stepped up to Chuck and kissed him. Actually she did more than kiss him. She was clearly sending a message to her ex-partner. "Sweetie," she said. "Would you mind if I talked to Agent Larkin in private for a second?"

Chuck knew full well that she would tell him every word later. He almost felt sorry for his old friend, almost. The look in her eyes plainly said that this wasn't going to be a friendly chat between two friends recounting old times.

Chuck wasn't out of the room for a second before Sarah turned to face Bryce. "I'm trying to stay calm here," she said. "You and I were partners for a long time. And the truth is you were a great partner, Bryce. I don't regret what we had. I don't even regret that we sometimes went farther that just partners. You were there for me at a time in my life when I needed something. I appreciate that. But we need to talk."

"Okay," Bryce said. "I'd like…"

Sarah quickly cut him off. "Actually, I plan on doing all the talking. Understood?"

Bryce had heard that tone before. And it usually immediately preceded somebody being fitted with a toe tag. So he just nodded.

"This seems plainly obvious to me," Sarah said. "I'm not even sure why I have to say it. But I'm going to anyway. I'm no longer Agent Walker… in both a literal and figurative sense. I know that you think that you know me pretty well. But I need for you to hear this. You don't know me, Bryce. And the plain unvarnished truth is that you never really did. This may be hard for you to hear. But you only knew the shell of a person that I allowed you to see." Sarah nodded towards the bedroom door where Chuck had just gone. "I'm in love with him. I'm going to spend the rest of my life dedicated to making him happy."

If Sarah hadn't already been furious, Bryce's skeptical look would have quickly turned the trick. But in this circumstance it actually made her more sad than angry. This was the part that was hurting Chuck. "I can tell what you're thinking," Sarah sighed. "Because, Bryce, I do know you. And I can see it written all over your face. You think you have it all figured out. I'll soon get bored with my new normal life and need the excitement of a mission. You'll be there waiting when I'll come running to you all desperate."

Sarah paused for a moment to gauge his reaction. "Then you'll have me at your mercy, won't you Bryce?" she asked softly. "That's where you always wanted me. We both know what your price would be to give me that exciting mission, don't we? It would be the things you always wanted from me and never got. Which would you demand first? The threesome with one of your barely conscious conquests like you wanted in Manila? Or the game of having me pick up a man in a bar and fuck him senseless while you watched from a hiding place like you suggested in Pittsburgh that time? Or maybe the submissive striptease, dancing for your amusement, probably followed by the blowjob you were constantly begging for in cities too numerous to mention? I imagine all three would come into play at some point in your twisted fantasy, right? Have you thought of some more things to demand from me once I'm at your mercy? I'll bet a lot that you have."

Bryce's involuntary smile plainly said that she had nailed him. "I'm glad that we agree that you've cheated me," he said. "I was your boyfriend for almost two years. After all the times that I've saved your life… I just want what I'm owed."

That turned the balance of Sarah's mood back from sad to furious. "You simply need to get that ridiculous thought out of your head," she snapped angrily. "Those things that you're thinking aren't ever, ever, fucking ever going to happen. Why in the hell do you think that you never got those things in the first place? Have you ever honestly asked yourself that question? Do you really think that you were my boyfriend, Bryce? What color is the sky in your world anyway? I owe you nothing. For one thing, I'm pretty sure that I've saved your life at least as many times. For another, more often than not it was your screw up that put me in danger in the first place."

Sarah stopped her angry rant for a moment and took a cleansing breath. "If you have never heard anything that I've ever said to you before, you need to hear this," she said in a much calmer tone. "Chuck and I are forever. The fact is that I'm very lucky to have him. We're currently actively trying to start a family. I'm looking forward to that normal life with him more than I can tell you. I feel like I'm just waking up from a bad dream. I'm happy, Bryce, happier than I ever thought possible, happier than I ever thought I deserved. There is no way in hell that I'm ever going back to that shell of a life. If you truly cared about me at all, you'd be happy for me."

In spite of her considerable rage, thinking about how happy she was caused an involuntary smile to break out. "Naturally, you don't understand a single word of this," she said shaking her head sadly. "I get that. You're not equipped to understand it. I'm not really asking you to understand. What I am asking for is that you respect it… and him. Chuck is more than my husband. He's my soul mate. That is not going to ever change. And 'asking' is actually far too tame. I'm not asking, I'm demanding. It's a condition going forward for us continuing to be friends. Frankly that is currently hanging by a thread."

Sarah took a deep breath to stamp down the frustration. "So there is one thing that I do expect you to get," she continued. "Whatever amount of slack that I was once willing to cut you because of our history is now gone. So I'm going to put this in terms that even you are equipped to understand. The next time you show up in our personal living space uninvited, you're going to be treated just like any other potential threat. You'll be exiting that room strapped to a gurney with a sheet over your head and one of my knives in your throat. That's as plain as I can say it."

"Do we understand each other?"

x-x-x-x-x

He already had quite the reputation for being an intimidating man, rage being his baseline emotion. But it wasn't all that difficult for her to tell when Alexi Volkoff was furious as he hung up the phone. She had seen it far too many times. There was this one vein in his forehead that was a sure fire giveaway. And it was currently pulsing at a record pace.

It was hard to think of Alexi Volkoff being enraged as anything but ominous. People often died because of it. But there was one very good thing about this from her perspective. Alexi could never have been mistaken for gentle and loving in bed at any time. Under the best of circumstances he demanded some level of sexual submission from her. In fact he often devised tests just to prove to both of them who was in charge of their sex life. And while she couldn't claim to enjoy some of the tests, after all pushing her limits and getting her to do things that she didn't want to was his point, she had to admit that being under his total control was… exciting.

But when he was angry that went out the window. The sex became… well, angry. It was his way of working off the frustration. And that was more than fine with her, quite frankly one of her favorite things. You couldn't call it 'making love." In fact it wasn't close to that. But to lie there helplessly while he did all the work and pounded into her over and over was amazing. It always led her to the most powerful orgasms. Not only that, he almost always felt a little guilty after one of those intense pounding sessions and did something to, well maybe not apologize, but at least do something to make it up to her. And since he usually treated her like a goddess anyway, that was always quite a treat. Some incredibly expensive piece of jewelry was often that something.

She knew Alexi well enough after being with him for the past twenty years that she was well aware that she didn't have to make any overture. In fact that would be a mistake. He would soon grab her and start ripping her clothes off… literally. Fortunately, she was getting a little tired of the outfit she was wearing anyway. That was a good thing since the chance of it surviving his rage this afternoon approached zero.

"I need you to go to Washington and oversee this," he said.

That surprised her a bit. At one time she was his main operative. She gladly did the nasty jobs for him that no one else could… or would. But it had been a few years since she had been in the field. Now her full time job was plainly between the sheets. It was a job that she loved. They maybe weren't technically married. But that was only a technicality. They both totally acted like it. "Me?" she asked in surprise.

"You're the only one I trust with this," Alexi said. "She actually thinks that she owns me. Do you believe that she would say that to me? Maybe it's time I showed her who owns who."

She groaned a bit. She knew that it was wise to be very careful how to speak to Alexi Volkoff. Yes, he loved her, more than that was obsessed with her, even worshiped her after a fashion. He would never really intentionally hurt her. And they both knew how much that she loved rough sex. But he was a very large, powerful man. When he got really angry, sometimes he forgot his own strength. "Come on, Alexi," she whined. "You know how much I hate that dyke." It was as much of a protest as she would ever register, and they both knew it.

"It can't be helped," he said as he grabbed her blouse in both hands and in one powerful pull easily ripped it like it had been made of paper until was barely hanging off her shoulders in threads. Quickly her bra followed. She had learned long ago to wear flimsy bras that were easily ripped for just these occasions. Fortunately, she had a drawer full of them, one of the perks of being the kept woman of one of the richest men in the world. "We have to stay ahead of the competition here. We need the Intersect. You know that I'll make this up to you."

She was always amazed at how quickly he could get her naked when he was angry. The next thing she knew she was laying on the bed, flat on her back. She knew that there wouldn't be anything approaching foreplay today. Fortunately none was needed, not in this situation. She was already pretty excited anticipating the hard fuck that was clearly imminent. So she quickly assumed the submissive position he liked so much. She placed her hands behind her head and lifted her knees in the air, giving him total access, an easy path of attack. It only took a short moment before she felt him powerfully enter deep inside her. After only a few thrusts, each one coming close to lifting her off the bed, she could already feel the inevitable explosion building inside her. It was amazing. She had been with Alexi for almost twenty years now and she still got the same thrill as that very first time. Ted maybe tried to act all macho a couple of times, but it was plainly an act. He had never fucked her anything like this. Steven never came close, never tried, simply didn't have it in him to dominate her like this. Maybe if he had tried every once in a while…

Alexi wasn't paying much attention to her moaning, pleading with him to go harder. He just pounded away. "We'll see how much you think that you own once you've had a taste of a pissed off Agent Frost," he said, clearly talking to a Jennifer Bowles who was currently half a world away, far more than to himself. If she had been able to hear him, she'd be on her knees right now shaking, begging for his forgiveness. She certainly would have been given a series of tasks to earn that forgiveness.

"Maybe quit literally."

x-x-x-x-x

Bryce was clearly shaken. The conversation plainly hadn't gone anything like he had hoped. But Sarah was far too pissed to feel even a little sorry for him. It was incredibly frustrating. She knew that Bryce Larkin was a good man. He was. But why was he acting like such a tool? What was that nonsense about being cheated? Hopefully maybe she had gotten through to him. Maybe if he finally believed that sex between them was never going to happen, he would actually stop this annoying nonsense.

As soon as he walked out the door, she went looking for Chuck to try and repair any damage Bryce's stupidity had just caused. He wasn't in the bedroom so she checked the bathroom. When the bathroom was empty, there was really only one place he could be. Sure enough he was sitting on the balcony calmly watching the morning surf crashing on the still empty beach. She softly took the seat next to him and gently put her head on his shoulder. "I'm so sorry," she said. "He never should have come into our room. I made very sure he understands that is never to happen again."

Chuck didn't look at her, or even respond for a long while. "Why are you sorry?" he finally asked. "You didn't do anything wrong."

"Well," Sarah sighed. "I did come out of the bedroom basically naked. I didn't know it was Bryce. I thought that you might have been in trouble and I just reacted on instinct. My instincts are apparently still more bodyguard than wife, I'm afraid. I'm sorry. I'm working on it."

"Okay," Chuck said. He kept staring out into the ocean. "You're doing fine in the wife department. Again, there is no need to be sorry."

"Chuck," Sarah said, the pleading in her voice clear. "Please. Yes, he is acting foolishly, totally unacceptably. I get that. You have every right to be pissed at him. But does it have to affect us like this? Aren't we so far past this? What is it going to take to convince you that you have no reason to be jealous of Bryce? Whatever it is, tell me and I'll do it."

"I'm not jealous of Bryce," Chuck insisted. He finally turned to look at Sarah with perhaps the beginning of a smile. "Let me rephrase that," he said responding to her skeptical look. "I'm not jealous of you and Bryce. I'm actually very secure in us. I have zero fear the Bryce Larkin is going to take you away from me. It's not that. Besides, I'm thinking that you're pissed enough at him for the both of us."

That got something of a relieved smile. "Good," she said. "You're probably right about that. Only I sense there is a 'but' in there someplace. Why don't we play the absolute truth game again that you started on the plane, be totally honest with your wife here, and tell me what that 'but' is?"

"He still loves you," Chuck said. "That's plain."

Sarah shook her head firmly. "You're just wrong about that," she said. "That honestly concerns me a little. It proves that you still don't get it. Bryce couldn't still love me. He never did love me. Not in the way you mean anyway. We were partners. We had each other's back in very dangerous, intimate situations, but nothing more. And yes, you're well aware that we've had sex a few times. I'd be lying if I tried to pretend that somehow I wasn't a willing participant, or even the initiator sometimes. But it was always just that… physical sex to get over the tension of a mission."

Sarah paused for a second to lovingly rub his back before continuing. "I'm sorry for rubbing that in your face so plainly," she said softly. "I get that you're sensitive about the subject. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that. I wouldn't like being constantly reminded of your sex life with Jill either. But it's important that you understand this. What I had with Bryce isn't in the same universe as what I have with you. It was the spy analogy to a relationship, an empty, joyless imitation of love. Bryce doesn't love me, in fact doesn't even understand what love is. He just misses having a partner, misses the sex… and he doesn't like to lose. The funny thing here is that it is actually Bryce who is the most jealous one. And I agree with you that it's plenty annoying. You shouldn't have to tolerate it. I told him so in terms that even he might actually understand."

Sarah paused as her smile turned into more like a grin. "Actually, now I'm fairly disappointed in you," she said. "You're cheating. That is not how the honesty game is played and you know it. So… when are you going to tell me the real reason why you're sitting here so troubled?"

Chuck looked out into the ocean again, this time for a long time. But he knew that she wasn't going to let him get away with not telling her. "It's not just Bryce," he finally sighed. "You're just so damned beautiful. I know that's probably a crazy thing to complain about. I can't believe that you don't notice it. Do you really not see the guy's eyes following your ass wherever you walk on the beach in that bikini? Or when you're bouncing around on the dance floor? Or whenever we walk into a restaurant? Did you really not see that waiter trying to look down your shirt last night? I mean, I know how stupid I'm sounding. I'm usually pretty good at ignoring it. I'm sorry. I'm not proud of feeling this way."

Sarah worked hard to make sure that he knew she wasn't making fun of him. "Why exactly are you sorry?" she asked. "That might have been one of the nicest things that anybody has ever said to me. And I don't think you're being stupid. That's not the right word, maybe just a little silly. Why get so upset over something that you have no control over? That's not healthy. Of course I'm aware that men look. I've learned over the years to tune it out, that they're going to look no matter what I do. The truth is that I understand what you're saying a whole lot better than you think I do. Because I see other women checking you out all the time as well. You are just as clueless about it as you're accusing me of being. Maybe that's because women are usually a tad more subtle than men are. But trust me, sweetie, it happens. And it bothers me just as much."

"I don't think so," Chuck said skeptically.

Sarah's grin disappeared. "You don't think that it bothers me?" she asked skeptically. "You seriously don't think that I'm every bit as jealous? I'm just better at hiding it. And do you know how I do it? Every time I see some woman looking at your ass, I tell myself that the glance is all she's ever going to get. That tonight you're going to be in bed with me, that your ass is mine."

Chuck wasn't quite ready to make this a joke. "I still don't think it happens as often," he protested.

"Wanna bet?" Sarah asked mischievously. "We were going to play Genie, remember? Well here is my first wish. For the rest of the day, we're going to point out when someone is checking the other out. We're going to have fun with it all day. The winner gets a forth wish. Deal?"

"You're getting to be quite the gambler," Chuck said with his first genuine smile. "Something tells me that this is going to get you in trouble soon. Joey must be rubbing off on you."

"I'm really not the one who Joey would like to rub off on," Sarah said as she joined his grin. "Maybe you could guess again. She is actually my ace in the hole here. Do we have a bet?"

"Sarah," Chuck asked cautiously. "You're not going to encourage any men are you? That would bother me."

"Of course not, silly," Sarah said. "Do you really think that it wouldn't bother me if you encouraged another woman? Trust me, that would lead to our first major fight as a married couple. There would be something wrong if that didn't bother you. Besides, you clearly don't understand the rules of the bet. Encouraging anybody would make me lose. And I may as well confess, I have big plans for that forth genie day. Look, if anyone ever did anything more than look, I wouldn't tolerate that. You shouldn't be expected to tolerate it either. But there is a grim reality here. We can't keep people from looking. So let's have some fun with it. I think you might enjoy this more than you think."

"Okay," Chuck said. "We have a bet. Now you owe me a total truth question. Be honest with me. There are things about the sex with Bryce that you miss, right?"

"So," Sarah said. "You want a totally honest answer here, right? If I remember the rules, you forfeit any right to be upset by my answer."

Chuck nodded.

"Here's my answer," Sarah said as she reached back and punched him in the arm, not perhaps with all of her might, but certainly not playfully.

"Damn," Chuck said as he rubbed his arm vigorously. "That hurt. I thought that the answers in this game were supposed to be verbal."

"I'm going to stay calm here," Sarah said, looking anything but calm. "But you need to understand something. The next time you ask me anything like that, we're going to have a big fight. You need to get that imaginary image that you've invented totally out of your head. It's just not real. So I'm going to say this one more time and you'd better fucking hear me. Bryce and I were partners on unbelievably dangerous, tense missions. Our sex was never more than the pure emotional release after cheating death. In fact I can't remember a single detail about any single time. Actually, at the time it could have been almost anybody. There was never anything loving about it. Ten minutes after it was over, I was always embarrassed by how unprofessional it was."

Sarah took a cleansing breath and honestly tried to calm down. "Chuck, have you ever asked yourself why I'm always seducing you?" she asked. "The honest truth is that I'm addicted to our lovemaking… every bit as much as that imaginary Neuorpol. You've taken me to places I never even imagined were possible. I remember every detail of the times we've made love. I'm actually getting pretty worked up sitting here thinking about it. If you weren't acting so stone cold stupid, I'd probably be dragging you into the bedroom and prove it to you by begging for my next dose."

"I'm sorry," Chuck said. "I didn't mean to piss you off. Could I maybe have a 'get out of jail free' card just this once?"

Sarah knew that she shouldn't laugh. She was pissed. She really was. But it was hopeless. The laugh came out pretty wet. "You know it, don't you?" she asked. "You know damned well that I'm helpless with you, that you can get me to do anything you want."

Chuck stood up and held out his hand in invitation which she quickly accepted. "Yup," he said with a grin.

"It's time to prove it."

x-x-x-x-x

Joan knew that she should just lay there and enjoy this wonderful afterglow. But she was a research scientist, an analyst. It simply wasn't in her nature to not try and analyze what had just happened. If you had told her a week ago that this was going to happen, she would have scoffed at you. But it was clear, her world had just dramatically changed twice… inside of three days. Joan wasn't one to normally believe in things that couldn't be scientifically explained, like fate. Looking back though, it was like her whole life had conspired to lead her to this… wonderful spot.

Today had started with something of a mixed bag. She wasn't an expert at dating etiquette by any stretch of the imagination. But it actually occurred to her on the drive over here that spaghetti wasn't perhaps the ideal meal for a second date. It was hard to eat, and surely hard to eat while you were wearing a light colored blouse and still trying to make that initial good impression. Of course she quickly found that she had been worrying for nothing. She and Steven simply clicked on every level. They were so comfortable together, like they had been a couple for years. Truthfully she had never laughed so hard in her entire life. She spent her life around scientists. And as a group they were pretty famous for having no sense of humor. But he was honestly the funniest man she had ever met.

But even more truthfully, Joan knew that there was something hanging over them, something that she simply had to fix if they were ever going to go forward. So she waited until they had the dishes in the sink. "I'm not a slut, Steven," she basically blurted out of left field, suddenly aware of how bizarre it sounded. "I know what Bryce told you to expect from me. And, yes, he asked me to come over here and seduce you. It would be pointless to try and deny that I agreed to do it for him. But I'm not a slut. I'm honestly not sure why I agreed. It was totally out of character for me. In fact, I've only ever slept with two men before in my life. I'm embarrassed. I… I just need for you to know that."

Joan didn't really know what to expect. After all, her confession was pretty stark, maybe even odd. But she surely didn't expect the grin he was flashing at her. "He's pretty persuasive, isn't he?" he asked with his eyes dancing. "He's talked me into some things I normally wouldn't have done as well. I have to admit that I'm a little disappointed. Does that mean you won't be seducing me… ever?"

Joan was never more grateful to be teased. It felt wonderful. "Ever is a long time," she said with her own silly grin that she seemed incapable of keeping from her face. "I'm not sure I can hold out quite that long. Whoever does the seducing; let's agree that when it happens it won't have been Bryce's idea, okay? It will be because we both want it. I'd appreciate it if maybe it could even be your idea."

Steven just laughed. The relaxed grin said that he clearly had noticed that she said 'when' and not 'if.' "In that case, would you like another glass of wine?" he asked. "If you're going to put all the pressure on me, I've learned in my limited experience in this area that I'm much more successful when the girl has been drinking heavily. If you need something stronger, I think I have some vodka someplace."

If Steven realized this or not, he couldn't have possibly said anything better to break the guilty tension she was feeling. Joan would have laughed, if her mouth had been free. She honestly wasn't sure who initiated that first kiss. Maybe they met half way. But it seemed to last forever. In fact she eventually realized through her fog that they had clearly passed simple necking some time ago and were now well into the foreplay realm. "Trust me," she whispered between ever more intense kisses. "Getting the girl drunk won't be necessary in this case."

Joan was an analytical person by nature. So it was hard to not compare Bryce to Steven in her mind, especially after such a long sexual drought. The truth was they couldn't possibly have been more polar opposites. She didn't even try to tell herself that the sex with Bryce Larkin wasn't the highlight of her life to that point. It clearly was. It was electric, consuming, almost uncomfortable in an overwhelming, out of body, sort of way. They weren't equals in that bed. He was in charge, took what he wanted, and made it clear that she was basically along for the ride.

Steven was different. Where Bryce was bold, he was bashful. It was so cute how his eyes asked for permission to unbutton every button, to unclasp every clasp. She resisted the strong temptation to help him in his task of getting her naked just to prolong the moment.

Where Bryce was electric and demanding, Steven was comfortable and generous. He made doubly sure that wherever he went, she was right there with him. Their foreplay and cuddling afterward was just as good as the actual sex part. And that's what made this the brand new highlight of her life.

Yesterday, she would have bet her very life that nothing could top the electric feeling of submitting to Bryce Larkin. Today proved her conclusively wrong. The warm and comfortable feeling trumped the electric jolt easily. Besides the fact that Steven wasn't about to give her a task to perform to pay him for the privilege of a single fuck. One thing was for sure. You could add sex to that list of levels where they simply clicked.

They just cuddled together wordlessly catching their breath for a long wonderful time. Finally Steven broke the silence. "It's been a while," he said with a gentle kiss and a smile that lit up the room. "I was afraid that I had forgotten how."

Joan quickly realized something. She didn't feel naked. A man was looking at her, in the broad daylight of early evening, wearing nothing but a silly smile, and she didn't feel uncomfortable in the least, was making no move to cover herself. That was a new experience for her… and a wonderful one. "I'm no expert," she replied with her own grin. "But I'm pretty sure you haven't forgotten much. If you have, then I'm in real trouble."

"So," Steven said with his grin now threatening to consume his face. "What next? Do you want to talk about data flow? Or maybe round two?"

"Can't we do both?"

"I meant which one first," Steven replied. "I'm dying to hear your thoughts on the data flow problem. But I'm finding it hard to concentrate on specs. You're just too beautiful."

Joan looked at him gratefully. "That was sweet." She was already convinced that she should stop trying to compare Bryce and Steven. That wasn't particularly productive or even all that healthy. Besides, there was no comparison. But there still was one question that was going to drive her crazy until she knew the answer. It really wasn't about Bryce or Steven, not really. It was far more about her. "I don't know," she said in mock deliberation. "I do have some definite thoughts on data flow." She began kissing her way down his neck. "First, I have an experiment I'd like to perform." When she had reached his stomach, she lifted her head to look at him.

"I'll let you know the results in a few minutes."

x-x-x-x-x


	31. Healthy Choices

_I still don't own Chuck._

_Okay folks. Before I get tons of comments that Chuck and Sarah would never do this, I'd like to direct your attention to the episode titled Hack Off, lol._

_If you enjoyed this or any of the stories on this site, please take a second and send the author a review. It only takes a second – and it really, really makes a difference. That's probably more important than ever now that the series has ended. If you want to keep the Chuck fandom alive and continue to read about these characters, you really need to think about rewarding the people whose hard work make that possible._

**Healthy Choices**

x-x-x-x-x

Chuck and Sarah were snuggled in the back seat while Josh drove up the Hawaiian coast. They were still giggling a little from the concierge's warning. He said that the beach was fabulous. But that the area they were heading to was considered a little rough, from both the perspective of terrain, but also from a safety point of view. It was a known high crime area with a couple of gangs patrolling the area using the thick jungle as cover. It was always mostly only petty robbery type stuff, taking wallets and purses, scaring people with knifes but nothing actually violent. But lately the gangs had become bolder, had begun to flex their muscle. There had started to be a few more serious incidents, a few beatings and even a couple of horrible rapes. He told them that they were advising casual tourists to avoid the area.

Of course, Chuck and Sarah had no way to know that Bryce had slipped the concierge a hundred, convinced him that he was playing a joke on his friends, and that everything he just said was total crap. The area was much too rugged for any gangs to be running around. Josh and Joey played their part convincingly. They wondered out loud if perhaps they should cancel. Of course that worry was all for show. Bryce had assured them that Agent Walker would scoff at a few roving gang members, in fact would relish any confrontation.

And he was right. Sarah did laugh. She knew her experience and defensive fighting skills would keep them out of almost any confrontation, not to mention the half a dozen knives she kept in her bag. Hopefully nothing would get that far seeing as those were next to the stupid Intersect glasses Bryce had brought Chuck. Even knowing their time with the CIA was coming to a close, it'd be irresponsible to allow them out of her sight. _What if they were stolen?_ No, she couldn't risk that, except that left her nice, expensive RayBan's bouncing around in her bag without protection as she gave up her fancy case to house the Intersect glasses. Oh well. At least now that she was comfortable that she didn't have to fear Fulcrum looking to capture the Intersect, let someone try anything. After her talk with Bryce this morning, working out some frustrations by kicking a little hoodlum ass might actually be a little fun.

The hidden secluded beach was beyond fabulous. It wasn't empty by any stretch of the imagination. But it also wasn't packed like the public beach in front of the hotel was. Sarah was looking forward to having kids with Chuck sometime soon. But she had to admit, the scores of little kids running through your legs every place you walked, their shrill screams always ringing in your ears, made Sarah pray that her and Chuck's kids wouldn't scream like that. The surf here was also much higher. You clearly didn't want to go into that water unless you were a very strong swimmer. That kept the kids away. This was clearly a favorite spot of the surfer community. You could see dozens of boards bobbing out on the water. Some of the surfers were actually quite good.

Another thing that kept the kids away was the fact that a fairly sizable amount of the women were topless, not all, but definitely a majority. Technically, it probably was against the rules here in the states. But they were ignored. Sarah purposely didn't tell Chuck but she guessed that this was almost assuredly going to be the case in such a secluded area. She wanted to see his reaction… and she wasn't disappointed. His mouth fell open as he realized the situation. His face turned several shades of purple as he desperately tried to find someplace to look that wasn't filled with pairs of bare breasts of almost every size and shape. Frankly most of them weren't all that attractive. But there were several pairs that, at first glance anyway, looked downright nubile.

Finally, in desperation, he settled for looking directly into her eyes. The look was far too pitiful, not to mention cute, to not inspire a little mercy. So she let him off the hook. "Don't worry, sweetie," she said as soon as she could stop laughing. "I ask you to put up with men looking at me. Well, it goes both ways. You're basically a normal red blooded human man. I get that. You officially have my permission to look all you want today. I'm fine with it. Please try and keep the drooling on our blanket to a minimum. That's gross. And just remember, tonight your ass is still mine."

That relieved Chuck, for a second as he watched her peel off her t-shirt and shorts leaving her standing there in her bikini. "Are you going to take off your top?" he asked.

It was a good question, one that Sarah considered for a long moment. It sure wouldn't be the first time. Lots of the beaches in Europe were like this. Sarah's philosophy had always been 'when in Rome…' And indeed the vast majority of the women weren't wearing tops. After all, skin was skin. In fact there were several that you wished would put one on, or at least cover themselves up with a towel.

Sarah looked at him for a long moment. And as well as she thought that she knew what made Chuck Bartowski tick, she had to admit, she currently didn't have a clue which he wanted her to do. The smirk he was flashing at her wasn't fear. Two weeks ago he would have clearly been horrified at the very thought of a beach full of men seeing her without a top. But now she wasn't so sure. Part of her knew that he was uncomfortable with nudity in general. Even now that they were married, he often blushed when she walked out of the shower naked and into the bedroom with the lights on. She often did that just for the sport. But this seemed different somehow. Nudity was all around them. It didn't seem like such a big deal. Then again, if she took off her top, all the men would have the same view that she had, up till now, officially reserved only for him. That probably wasn't his favorite idea either. "What do you want me to do?" she finally asked.

His calm smile and shrug surprised her, but pleasantly so. He was clearly making this her decision. But he was also clearly telling her that he wouldn't mind. It was perhaps even more than that. Maybe he was saying that he sort of hoped that she would. Maybe he was growing more comfortable. Maybe this morning's talk had finally even started to sink in a little. That would be fantastic. Maybe he was getting to the point where he even wanted to show her off a little. That would be okay too. She would love the opportunity to act like his trophy in public a little and maybe build up his self-esteem. So she shot a questioning glance at Joey.

Joey's reaction was immediate, as was the blush creeping up her neck. "No way," she snapped flatly, quickly ending any speculation about how she was leaning. "I had no idea this was going to be like this. There is no way I'm showing all these strange men my tits. It's not done. Next thing you know we'll be in the middle of an orgy."

Sarah was frankly a little surprised at her typical Midwestern reaction. She seemed to be a little wilder than that. With the yellow bikini Joey was almost wearing, she wasn't all that far away from showing her tits to everybody anyway. She was clearly being sarcastic, but she was right about one thing. After dark this beach would undoubtedly get really, really wild around the bonfire. There was already some really heavy necking going down on several of the blankets. If Joey was looking to be in the middle of a drunken orgy, she was definitely in the right place, maybe just a few hours early.

Sarah resisted the strong temptation to goad Joey into it. She knew that she could play the 'chicken' card with her any time she wanted. That might be a little fun. But her reaction did make the 'taking her top off' decision easy so Sarah just smiled and nodded in agreement. She grabbed Chuck by the hand and walked on the beach, looking for a good place to set down their blanket.

Josh grabbed his partner's hand and held her back for a beat until Chuck and Sarah were out of earshot. "You're not going to show all of these men your tits?" he asked skeptically. "Were you actually blushing? Who are you and what have you done with Joey? Hello? Wet t-shirt contest ten days ago? Dancing around the bar in nothing but an invisible thong? Remember that? I thought that you would relish the opportunity to flash your tits in his face all afternoon. Am I missing something?"

"Watch and learn how to seduce men," Joey replied playfully with a grin. "From where I'm standing you should be grateful for the pointers. For one thing, you know full well that the wet t-shirt thing was a mission. But there is one thing sexier than showing a man your tits. And that's showing them to him when he thinks that you don't really want to. In about an hour, my husband is going to make me. He thinks that it will be healthy for our sex life."

"There are so many things wrong with that statement that I don't know where to begin," Josh sighed in mock sarcasm. "But thanks for the pointers. I can use them all. I'm just not sure that my tits are up to it."

Joey's grin broadened. "One thing is for sure," she said.

"They can come in mighty handy."

x-x-x-x-x

General Beckman was quite famous for not trying to hide her displeasure with other people. "What do you mean?" she growled into the phone. "Was I not clear a couple of days ago?"

"You were very clear," Bryce said. "I've delivered the glasses. They were… somewhat less than enthusiastic."

"Well then make them enthusiastic," Beckman growled. "Do I really have to tell you this?"

"No, ma'am," Bryce said. "I just want to make sure we think this through. If we use these extreme tactics, it could backfire. If they ever find out we set them up, we'll lose them. They could very well become our enemies."

"Agent Larkin," Beckman said sarcastically. "Forgive me. I don't remember asking for your opinion. Is there some reason that you're lecturing me as if I was a rookie agent?"

"No ma'am."

"Then I suggest that you get on with it," Beckman growled. "Things are starting to move faster than we anticipated. I need you and Bartowski back here ASAP. I need him to be at 2.0. I'm sorry if that means that we have to cause Agent Walker some discomfort. She knew what she was getting into. That's the game we play. We're making a huge omelet here. We can't be afraid of breaking a few eggs. The next time we speak, you'd better tell me what I want to hear. Is that clear?"

"Yes, ma'am," Bryce said, although he knew full well that she had already hung up on him. This was working out well. He could make Sarah pay for her insults, accomplish his mission, and when push came to shove, blame Beckman.

Yup, this was working out very well.

x-x-x-x-x

Since Joan and Steven had spent the entire night in bed last night fully exploring each other's… preferences, they promised each other that tonight would be a work night. Of course, they were calling it work. The plain truth was that it was anything but work for either of them. Joan playfully put her foot down. She would run home, shower, get ready for work, and quickly pack a bag with enough clothes to last for a few days. She would pick up some particularly unhealthy fast food on her way back from the office, and there would be no sex until they had solved the current problem… or until they couldn't keep their hands off each other, whichever came first.

The way that it turned out the 'no sex' decree didn't last very long. Joan found herself in a constant state of arousal. Ten minutes after Steven would so skillfully put out her fire, she could feel it building again. Maybe she was wrong last night. Maybe she was a slut after all, a closet one. She was surprisingly fine with that. Maybe she was making up for the long celibate years. Or maybe she had finally found the right guy. She was also surprisingly fine with that. She forced herself to not ruin this by thinking too much about the future… or anything silly like love. She just knew that whatever this was, it was magical. There was no place else she ever wanted to be… and the second her lips touched his that the clothes were quickly coming off.

It turned out that Steven was not only funny, he was a pragmatist. He mumbled something about time management. Why get dressed when they were inevitably going to get naked again soon anyway? Joan wasn't totally sure she bought that. It sort of sounded like a teen's argument why they shouldn't be required to make their bed. Maybe his spare bedroom that had been turned into an office wasn't exactly a topless beach, but it sounded more like an excuse to continue to ogle her naked chest. But again, she was surprisingly fine with that.

In fact she made an obvious show out of posing for him for as long as he wanted to look. She even made sure that when they embraced that her chest rubbed across his provocatively, making no attempt to hide the fact that she was more than comfortable with their current state of undress. So they eventually found themselves huddled on the bench in front of his computer, naked except for the single flannel sheet wrapped around them keeping them warm. And yes, she sometimes caught him taking a peak at her chest when he probably should have been looking at something on the computer screen. But you guessed it… she was surprisingly fine with that.

They were looking at the specs for the CIA version of the Intersect that Joan had downloaded to her thumb drive this morning, specifically looking at the data flow solution her team had come up with. Steven quickly admitted that it was a good approach, definitely on the right track. But Steven was also clearly right, it needed some serious tweaking. Of course in showing him the specs, she had just committed several felonies. The very act of copying them to her thumb drive would surely cost her the career she had worked so hard for if she was discovered. Prison was an outside possibility.

She no longed cared, not even a little bit. She was tired of the abuse that was being inflicted on this nice, sweet, brilliant man that she had come to… well love might be too strong of a word. It had only been three days. She wasn't sure that she believed in love anyway. But whatever her feelings, she was tired of seeing him treated like this, his amazing inventions stolen from him without getting a dime. She was tired of seeing him not even getting the credit he deserved. He invented the Intersect. The government had taken it for their very own without so much as a thank you note. Not only that, they had taken it and fucked it up. The plain truth was that this solitary man with zero resources was much closer to a workable design that could be mass deployed than the high powered team of professional 'geniuses' that she headed. All they had come up with was something that worked on a single man, was more or less tailored for his brain. Who knew what would happen if someone else tried it?

Then there was that, the elephant in the room. She was part of the problem. She was the head of the entire project. This had happened on her watch. She had to stop thinking about it like that or she would soon be blubbering. And the very last thing that she wanted was to cry in front of him. She would find some way to make this up to him.

She already had a pretty good idea how to start. Last night's experimentation proved that she was, maybe no expert, but learning fast. His moaning was also a pretty good indication that this was something that he enjoyed. He gave every indication that he was willing to be very patient while she practiced and honed her skills. He was also clearly interested in performing the occasional experiment himself. That part was a wonderful first for her… yet another thing that she was surprisingly fine with. The only surprising thing was how much she herself was enjoying doing this for him. It was pretty damn exciting to feel him getting so excited. In fact getting a little practice time in during their next break was starting to sound like a good idea.

They were in the middle of one of their playful, mock bickering sessions over an obscure technical issue that they both enjoyed so much when they spotted it. Steven was always concerned about the effects on the nervous system. Joan constantly tried to assure him that they had fully vetted this issue with the leading medical people. She was pointing out the safeguards they had put in place. Then it happened. For a long time Joan and Steven could only stare at each other in shock. The obscure flaw hit them at the exact same time. It was left for Joan to say what they were both thinking. "Oh my God," she said, her voice little more than a whisper. "That would eventually be fatal."

Steven was the first to recover his wits. "You need to report this," he said. "Your Intersect is in big trouble."

Joan's heart was caught in her throat. "I have to tell you something," she said fighting to keep her composure. "Bryce told me not to tell you. But Steven, that was before I knew you. I should have told you before. I swear that I was going to. I was just waiting for the right time." She was panicked, rambling. She knew that.

Steven looked at her so obviously trying to blink away tears. "Joan," he said in clear concern. "What's wrong?"

"The CIA's Intersect," she whispered. "I'm so sorry, Steven."

"His name is Chuck Bartowski."

x-x-x-x-x

Chuck waited until Sarah ran back to the car for the sun block, then he turned to Josh and Joey. "Thanks for being our friends," he said. "It really means a lot to us."

He turned to Joey specifically. "I can't tell you how much Sarah needed a normal friend," he sighed. "She has a hard time sometimes relating to other women. Most of the other women in her life are… well, different. I've noticed her change right in front of my eyes because of being around you. She's more relaxed. More trusting. So thank you for that."

Joey didn't know what to say. It was nice, too nice. If he only knew the real situation. She knew damn well that an agent on an assignment couldn't allow emotion to interfere. But it was clear. She liked them. She was on the path to liking them a lot. And now she had to feel guilty.

Josh saw his partner struggling for words so he stepped up. The best way out of this would be to make it a joke. "Wow," he said with a laugh as he sided into his 'wife.' "Chuck, you actually have her speechless. I don't think I've ever seen that before."

Joey knew what she had to say. But it was surprisingly genuine. "Thanks," she said. "We're having fun hanging out with you guys too."

Chuck grinned at Josh. "I notice that you're not looking at the plethora of bare breasts on display either," he said approvingly. "I find it very refreshing to see another couple who is as in love as Sarah and I are."

That got Josh laughing. If he only knew the real reason. "Why would I look at other women?" he asked. "When I have the most beautiful one lying next to me?" Then he remembered his assignment. "Even if she refuses to take off her top for me."

Joey feigned embarrassed surprise. "Do you really want me to?" she asked shyly. "Josh, you know that I'll do anything that you really want. I'm just sensitive about my…"

"Joey thinks that her breasts aren't big enough," Josh finished for her with a laugh. Then he turned back to her. "We're on a topless beach. What better place? I think it will be healthy for you. I keep telling you that they are perfect. Let Chuck be the judge."

Before Chuck could protest that he had no desire to be the judge, or even turn his head, he was looking directly at Joey as her top slid to the sand. "Well," she asked with a shy smile.

Chuck honestly didn't know what to do. He sure as hell didn't want to give Sarah anything to be jealous about. He also didn't want to critique another woman's chest. On the other hand, his friend had asked for his opinion. And she certainly had nothing to be self conscious about. She maybe wasn't overly large, but that was the only thing that wasn't perfect. "You have nothing to be self conscious about," Chuck said. "They're perfect." He silently prayed that neither would ask him to detail exactly what made them perfect and that his brief time as female breast judge was coming to an end.

"See," Josh said playfully. "I told you he would like them. Like I said, the most beautiful woman on the beach is lying next to me."

That actually got Joey laughing like he wanted. "Sweet talker," she said sarcastically as she jumped on him and they started playfully wrestling. "Let's see how perfect you think they are once I'm standing next to Sarah."

They were still rolling around on the sand giggling when Sarah returned with the lotion. She smiled at the scene then turned to Chuck. "What did you say to them anyway?" she asked with a grin.

"I'm not sure," Chuck replied with his own grin.

"Come on, Sarah," Joey grunted from her position under Josh who was trying in vain to pin her to the sand. "I took mine off. Chicken?"

Sarah turned expectantly to Chuck. "Last chance to object," she said.

Chuck now knew that it would be unsporting to object. So he just smiled at her. "Totally your call," he said.

After Sarah took off her top, she sat next to him and put her head on his shoulder affectionately. "I'm very proud of you," she said. And it was the truth. She was very, very proud. The Chuck of just a few days ago would have made this a sexual situation and gotten all jealous the first time that a man glanced in her general direction. And while maybe he wasn't completely at ease, he was clearly making a huge effort to prove something to her. "You've really grown. It's very healthy. Tonight I'm going to think of a very healthy way to reward you."

Chuck smiled. "Maybe you should hold off on the pride talk," he said in mock seriousness. "As long as I have to allow men to look at you, maybe I might as well embrace it and get something out of it. The most beautiful woman in the world is sitting next to me wearing a smile. No other man on this beach can say that. It feels like I'm bragging somehow."

"Do you think that there is anything wrong with that?" Sarah asked. "I sure don't. It was very sweet, yet another thing to reward you for tonight. Until then, do you want to wrestle?"

"Um, yeah," Chuck said with a huge grin. "As much as the thought of rolling around the sand with the most beautiful woman in the world dressed like you are sounds attractive, we both know that I really wouldn't stand much of a chance wrestling with you. I think I'll save my humiliation for some time where there aren't a thousand people watching. I'll let you manhandle me to your heart's content tonight on the big poster bed. Maybe you could wrestle with Joey. That would be sure to draw a huge crowd. Besides, I'm going to be busy."

Sarah knew that he wasn't serious so she ignored the suggestion. He was right. Wrestling with Joey would surely draw a huge crowd, but for all the wrong reasons. "Busy?" she asked. "We're just sitting here."

Chuck started to laugh. "Yes, busy," he said. "Maybe you're not going to be quite so proud of me." He picked up the tube that Sarah had dropped on the blanket.

"Now you're going to need me to help you put on a lot more sun block."

x-x-x-x-x


	32. Really No Choice

_I still don't own Chuck._

_Okay folks. Lot's of stuff happening in this chapter. Some good… some not so good._

_If you enjoyed this or any of the stories on this site, please take a second and send the author a review. It only takes a second – and it really, really makes a difference. That's probably more important than ever now that the series has ended. If you want to keep the Chuck fandom alive and continue to read about these characters, you really need to think about rewarding the people whose hard work make that possible._

**Really No Choice**

x-x-x-x-x

Alexi sat on the bed and watched her pack. "Mary," he said softly. "You do realize what this means, right? We may need him."

Mary knew this was coming. But the involuntary chill ran through her body anyway. For one thing, he never called her Mary. It was always Frost or My Love. Alexi Volkoff was a very demanding person. And as such he really didn't factor personal considerations into his planning. He couldn't afford the luxury. He simply had too many enemies. So the softness in his voice clearly told her that he recognized that what he was asking would be very hard for her. She hadn't seen Steven since that fateful day when he walked in on her and Ted. She could still see the devastated, hurt look of pure betrayal in his eyes as he stood there with the realization that his wife was actually eagerly fucking another man in their bed. Not only another man, but his nemesis. He probably never found out that it had been a regular occurrence for about a year before they finally got caught. "I know," she said, her voice no more than a whisper. "We're not even sure if he's stayed in touch with the research."

Alexi's smile was relaxed. "He's stayed in touch," he said. His confidence left no doubt. "My Love, it's his life's passion. Just like you're mine. No man could turn his back on that. Once we give him a working Intersect to work with…"

She knew that he was right, like always. "I know," she said softly. "Alexi, can we maybe do this without torture?" She was very hesitant to even ask that. When push came to shove, she didn't want him to question for a single second where her loyalties were. She had made her decision all those years ago. She didn't regret it for a second. But Steven wasn't one of Alexi's enemies who she routinely terminated, often in some grotesque way designed to make a statement, without a shred of mercy. And he certainly didn't deserve to be tortured. He was a smart, sweet guy who tried his honest best to be enough for her. She was able to fool herself for a few years into thinking that maybe he was enough. But at the end of the day he just fell short. It was far more her fault than his. She had worked very hard over the years to block Steven and the kids from her mind. Distance was the only way to stay sane.

Fortunately Alexi was unusually calm. He could also read her mind. "Don't worry," he said. "I understand what you're feeling, how hard this would be for you. I don't question your loyalty. But we are going to need him. You have the best chance of getting him here in one piece. If you can use another method to get his cooperation, I'd be fine with that."

He didn't have to elaborate. She instantly knew what he meant. Over the past twenty years she had regularly used sex on his missions. It was funny. Alexi Volkoff was incredibly jealous. Over the years more than one man had woken up dead just for the crime of being a little too overt in checking her out in his presence. But that jealousy clearly didn't include her fucking other men, or other women, or even some combination of the two in the process of her work. In fact he was always very eager to hear the details of whatever seduction had taken place on her last trip, often requested reenactments. Truthfully she often used sex in situations where it wasn't really necessary. And she always made every effort to make the sex wild and sometimes even a little on the kinky side, just to have something exciting to tell him, and perhaps reenact, when she got home. She wasn't above maybe even embellishing beyond what actually happened a bit sometimes to really get him worked up. It always led to a very hot night in bed. But Steven? That would be different. She wasn't sure that even she could do that.

Even to avoid the alternative.

x-x-x-x-x

Joan could only look at the devastated look on his face. For a long time she wished he would react, to yell at her, even hit her if it would help. Do anything other than just stare at her in disbelief with those incredibly sad eyes. She knew that the tears were streaming down her cheeks. It probably wasn't helping. There just wasn't a thing she could do about it. "I'm so sorry," she sobbed. "You probably want me to leave."

His lack of an answer soon basically became an answer of its very own. So Joan stood up to get dressed. Finally Steven found his voice. He grabbed her hand. "Why do you think that I would want you to leave?" he asked.

Joan more or less lost it. "I just killed your son," she said through her racking sobs.

"No you didn't," Steven insisted. "Stop thinking like that. Even if you're head of the team, you're surely not responsible for this. In fact you just saved his life."

"How do you figure?"

"By telling me about it," Steven said with the beginnings of a smile. "The CIA could never fix this. You know that. No offense but they are as worthless as tits on a boar hog. We're going to fix this."

"How?"

"I'm not sure yet," Steven said with the smile becoming more apparent. "But I know that we'll come up with something. In case you haven't noticed, we're a pretty good team."

Joan could only look at him. His mood made her hopeful that she hadn't just blown her chance with him. That would be too horrible to contemplate. But she still wasn't ready to breathe easy either. "We're an incredible team," she was finally able to say. "On many levels. Steven, I need you to know, I feel horrible about this. I'm willing to do whatever it takes… on any of the levels."

"Then let me answer your question," Steven said cautiously. "Joan, we both know that I'm not good at this sort of thing. So I'm just going to say it. We've known each other for three days. I'm far too old for you. You're with another man, not only another man but a young, dashing, handsome agent that I can't hope to compete with. I get all that. But I've never been happier than I have been with you. The honest truth is that I never want you to leave."

It took a long moment for what he was saying to sink in. But when it finally did, it came with a huge grin that actually made the tears look sexy. "Why Steven," she said in mock embarrassment. "That sounded very much like a proposal."

Steven turned a little red, but he also didn't try and deny her statement.

Joan sided into him affectionately. "You just made four main points," she started in her best Professor Cole imitation. "None of them are really accurate. If you'll allow me, I'd like to correct the record."

"First and most important, I'm not with another man and certainly not one who you couldn't compete with. I'll not try and deny that I spent a single night with Bryce. And, yes, he's smooth and confident and good at the seducing women thing. But the truth is that you have it all over him in every important way that I can think of. I'm currently sitting here embarrassed by my 'relationship' with Bryce. I find myself a little panicked that I somehow won't be able to make you believe that. Right now, I'd like to have a chance to kick the crap out of him."

"Second, since it's now after midnight, we technically have known each other for parts of four days. Not that anybody's counting or it matters in any way, but it seems like a lot longer, doesn't it? It feels almost like we've been a couple for a long time."

"Third, too old for me, Steven? You think that? Really? I don't see it. I can honestly say that I've never once thought about our age difference in a negative way. I see you as experienced and sexy, not old. I hope that you're not going to hold my youth and inexperience against me."

"And last but certainly not least, you're a lot better at this then you think that you are. I've also never been happier. I really need you to get past whatever is going on inside that brilliant head of yours and understand this. I never want to leave either."

"I think that I'd like to kick the crap out of him, too," Steven said, making no attempt to rebut any of her teasing points. "In fact, that is sounding more and more like a good idea, for an ever growing list of reasons. Maybe after we've solved the Intersect problem we can find an innovative way to make him pay."

"We have a deal," Joan said as she touched her lips to his. "Looping back to the proposal thing. I'm trying hard not to be overly critical. I get that this romantic stuff isn't really either of our strengths. I'm willing to let you slide on a lot of things. But maybe after we solve the Intersect problem, you could come up with a little better effort. This is going to be my one and only shot at this. I never really imagined this would ever happen for me. So I suddenly find that I would enjoy a dinner with my future husband that didn't come delivered wrapped in paper, maybe a candle or two, a ring, an 'I love you', seeing you down on one knee, the whole romantic package. I promise not to be one of those demanding wives. But you could do that for me, couldn't you?"

Steven smiled. "I can do the candlelit dinner, ring, and the 'I love you' things," he said playfully. "But you do realize that I'm old, right? If I get down on one knee there is a good chance that I'll be stuck there."

That got them both helplessly laughing.

"I'll tell you what," Joan was finally able to say through her laughing. "If that happens, I'll help you up. I'll promise that when the time comes, I'll be able to return the 'I love you' thing. Now let's hurry up and solve this problem so I can prove it."

Of course that was pure formality. He had already proposed. She had already accepted. They both understood that. Yes, they had problems. Most people would scoff at the idea of them as a couple. But through the glow of the moment as their lips met Joan had a sudden epiphany, one that would forever change her life. She now firmly believed in love.

And she was surprisingly fine with that.

x-x-x-x-x

Okay, yes, Sarah probably should have been more cautious, especially given the warning they were given this morning. It's just that wife Sarah was far too giddy for any bodyguard Sarah instincts to impact her good mood. Chuck couldn't have possibly been cuter on the beach. Even after she had basically given him permission to ogle the virtual smorgasbord of bare female breasts that were all around him to his heart's content, when he wasn't looking directly at her he kept his eyes trained out on the water, intently watching the surfing like he was studying for a surfer exam. Okay, so she was well aware that he was a little bashful about nudity. But she knew that wasn't it. He was being respectful to his wife, was telling her without words that he had no desire to even look at another woman, no matter how much permission he was granted, that he never wanted her to worry about it. It was so simply adorable that it almost brought tears to her eyes.

Of course his attention distracted out on the water meant that she was quickly able to build an insurmountable lead in this morning's bet. She didn't even need to use Joey. It almost didn't seem fair. It was such a rout that she actually pointed out to him a couple of men who were obviously staring at her, just to not make him feel bad, as odd as the idea sounded.

Joey and Josh really wanted to go hiking in the jungle. Sarah would have been content to stay on the beach all day soaking up the sun next to her cute husband. But Joey was pleading. That was also fine with Chuck, who was clearly looking forward to seeing something other than surfers. And as it turned out, it was more fun than Sarah feared. Honestly the jungle was substantially thicker and even more desolate than she expected. The terrain was also pretty rugged, basically winding up the side of a mountain. So even though they were following the path, it was pretty tough sledding, especially for Chuck. Sarah was beginning to regret not having put on her shorts and t-shirt along with her top to go hiking. But she had again followed Joey's lead. She was honestly spending a lot of her attention worried about Chuck struggling up some of the steeper grades. He was panting for breath more than once. But he never asked for a break. They hadn't seen another person since they started. So she didn't notice the man jump out of the jungle with a gun pointed at her until he was right on top of them.

With Joey and Sarah still wearing their bikinis with running shoes, it was the perfect outfit for throwing a kick, so the gun quickly went flying into the bushes. That's when all hell broke loose. Men came pouring out of the jungle. For some reason, they seemed to know what they were doing and who the threat was. Six of them immediately surrounded Sarah.

Naturally, six big men were too much for even Sarah to fight for very long, especially with half of her attention diverted to how Chuck was doing. And he wasn't doing all that well. One man had grabbed Joey who had basically given up. Josh appeared to try and fight his man until a punch to his gut left him collapsed on the ground moaning in agony. That allowed Josh's man to join the battle with Chuck, who surprisingly was holding his own against the first guy. But two was simply too much to ask. They had him quickly wrestled to the ground.

That meant that Sarah had to totally concentrate on the task at hand. Either she rescued them, or they were captured. Sarah did her level best. She even held her own for a couple of minutes. She had a couple of men on the ground not knowing what their names were for a while courtesy of her right foot upside their head. But ultimately there were just too many of them. Once one of the men tackled her from behind and had her on the ground, she was quickly overwhelmed.

Sarah was surprised that they were organized enough to have handcuffs. This wasn't some rogue gang of petty crooks. But she quickly felt her arms being jerked behind her back and the unmistakable feel of metal cuffs. Once she was jerked back to her feet, the man on her either side had her firmly secured.

Sarah quickly assessed the situation. Josh was still doubled over moaning in agony, any will to fight that was ever there now long gone. Chuck was sitting next to him with a couple of knives pointed at him. He had clearly taken some punishment. His lip was bleeding a little but he still had a defiant look on his face. She quickly locked eyes with him and flashed the nod that told him she was okay. He quickly followed suit.

One man was going through her bag. He took her knives and threw the bag, which now only contained clothes, at Chuck's feet in disgust. Joey was being held by a single man and was no longer struggling. Another man was going through her bag. Clearly finding nothing of value, he threw the bag next to Sarah's. Sarah was immediately aware that she was the only one cuffed. That quickly raised her suspicions. _Why would that be?_

The man who was clearly the leader stepped up to where Joey was being held and nodded to the man who was holding her. Surprisingly he released her. "Where is the money?" he asked.

Sarah was the one who answered. "We don't have any money with us," she said. "You have everything…"

Sarah was interrupted by a hard backhanded slap. With no way to see it coming or defend herself, it landed flush on her cheek and had her seeing stars for a long moment. He took the opportunity to cup her left breast in his hand over her top and leer at her mockingly. "Listen up, blondie," the leader growled. "When I ask you a question I want to hear the sound of your voice immediately answering me with respect. Until then, shut the fuck up. We'll get back to you in a few minutes."

The leader returned to Joey. He pointed the blade of his knife to her left hand, indicating her wedding ring. "Which is your husband," he asked with a smirk.

Joey looked around cautiously. Then with a nod of her head she indicated Josh who was still lying on the ground acting every bit like he was doubled over in pain.

"Do you love him?"

Of course Joey knew well that this was all a play. The 'gang' members that had captured them were all CIA Academy classmates. She knew every one of them very well. She had dated Mike, the man who was about to be the first to 'rape' her. They had actually gone out pretty regularly for a few months and had some really good times. He was a great dancer… among other talents. They had already been in bed several times and hopefully would several times again sometime soon. In the planning meeting for this assignment they actually teased each other about it incessantly. But she found herself considering the question anyway.

Joey knew that the first rule of being a spy was to never fall in love. That was easy. Josh definitely wasn't her husband, and never would be. The truth was that at first their relationship hadn't gone so well. For quite a while she definitely felt cheated being assigned to work with a gay partner. But quickly she found that it was a blessing. They could work intimately together without any of the sexual tension nonsense that complicated so many other partnerships. They eagerly acted as each other's wingman in bars and had already helped to get the other laid with the hot dude de jour more times than she could count.

And Josh was every bit as protective of her as any straight partner. He fiercely had her back on missions without the arrogant macho bullshit that made so many agents virtually impossible to be around for any length of time. He sat in the dark at night and patiently listened when she needed to cry about her problems without ever trying to make it about him. He was a blast to just hang out with without constantly having to worry if he was hitting on her. He always kept her laughing. Not only that, he was truly a great dancer and was always willing to go out with her and feed her addiction. He was honestly already much, much more than the best friend she ever had. And the funny thing was they were growing closer every day. So yes, her answer was maybe part of the script. She had never said those words to him before. That would have been odd. But as she locked eyes with him, she made sure that he knew that it was also very much the truth.

"Yes. I do."

"Good," he said. "I'm going to give you the chance to prove it. Follow every order you're given immediately and each time save one of his fingers. Understood?" Without waiting for a response he issued the first order. "Put your hands on top of your head."

The thing about string bikinis was that there wasn't all that much holding them in place. A couple of tugs on the right strings and Joey was quickly standing with her hands on her head wearing only her shoes. None of the men were at all hiding the fact that they were overtly checking out her pert body which was fully on display. It was all part of the script, but if they were acting, then they were damn good actors. The leader nodded to one of the men who approached. "This is Mike," he said. "He is going to become your husband for the next hour or so. He is convinced that this is your wedding night. If you will smile, offer him your hand, and promise him a good time, he'll take you out of sight. Otherwise, it happens right here in front of everybody.

"You sick sonofabitch!" Sarah screamed as she watched the scene play out in front of her. "Don't you dare touch her." She tried to struggle. But the men holding her had forced her into an awkward position, leaning slightly forward with her legs forced apart. So with her arms fastened behind her back, she quickly found that she was physically helpless. "Joey, fight them."

Sarah was ignored for the moment while everybody waited for Joey's answer. For her part, Joey was struck by how real this now seemed. She was honestly a little freaked out herself by the situation. And unlike Sarah, she knew that they weren't really going to be raped. The plan was for them to get spooked and run off just before any actual sex. This didn't sound quite so bad in the planning meetings. But Agent Walker was a legend at the Academy. And that was before she had actually met her. Joey now knew that Chuck and Sarah Bartowski were nice, witty, and just plain fun to be around, thought that under other circumstances they could actually become friends. Now she had helped set them up for a truly nightmare afternoon.

Sure, maybe agents thought about sex differently. But nobody wanted to be forced into sex with six strangers on the dirt. And her new 'friend' was about to believe that she was going to be repeatedly raped in front of her husband, for what reason she wasn't really sure. She herself was going to pretend to suffer that same fate, just to make it more believable. It now seemed unnecessary and obscene. Joey surely felt plenty guilty. But it was an assignment. She really didn't have much choice. So she turned to Sarah. "There is no way to fight. Just get through this as best you can," she advised sadly. She knew what was going to happen for her today before she got up this morning. But now, for the first time, her concern was actually genuine. He wasn't supposed to hit her like that. "Sarah, just please be smart. Stop fighting them. Stop giving them a reason to hit you. Just let it happen. We really have no choice."

Joey turned to Mike. She could plainly see the bulge in his shorts that told her he was getting into this role more than a little. Normally that would have excited her to no end, so much so as to maybe even play the helpless sex toy role to its conclusion and give him something to remember this mission by. But in this circumstance it was fairly disgusting. Mike now would have some serious sweet talking to do to ever get her into bed again. But she had an assignment. She forced the tepid fake smile, extended her hand to him, and delivered her expected line. "Please don't hurt me or my husband," she said softly. "I'll do anything that you ask."

As soon as Mike took Joey's hand and firmly led her out of sight, the leader stepped up to Sarah. "What about you, blondie?" he asked mockingly. He reached behind Sarah's back and clearly taunted her by slowly and methodically pulling on the strings to her top until he was holding it in his hand. He dropped the top to the ground and placed his hand on her now bare breast. "If you really are blonde, that is. So tell me. Where are we going to fuck? How much do you love your husband? Just what would you do to save one of his fingers?"

Sarah was seeing red. "You fucking lowlife pig," she spat. "Get your greasy hands off me. Is this the only way you can get women?"

The leader just smiled at her as he released her nipple with a not so gentle twist. He had heard rumors about how beautiful Sarah Walker was. But the rumors didn't do her justice. It was a shame that his orders were to stop short of actual sex. Maybe there was some wiggle room here someplace, an opportunity to use some personal discretion. But if not, he'd have as much fun as his orders would allow. "I thought that I had made myself clear about my conditions for hearing your voice," he growled as he unleashed three consecutive vicious short, jab like punches to Sarah's jaw, two rights and a left. Even though they weren't full punches, she had no way to avoid any of the impact. "That means you're not going to get the courtesy of the chance to beg me to fuck you in private."

Chuck could only watch in horror as Sarah helplessly was taking her beating. Then fate intervened. He saw Bryce's glasses that Sarah had stored for safekeeping poking out of the top of her bag lying next to him. He had totally forgotten that she put them there for safekeeping.

For her part, Sarah was dazed and barely conscious. Through the fog she could barely feel the tug on the strings of her bikini bottom and it also drop away into his hand and join the top lying on the ground. It barely registered that he was verbally mocking her, or more appropriately mocking Chuck.

The leader turned a bit so that Chuck would have a full unobstructed view of him playing with her left breast. "She is really quite a beautiful woman," he said in a mock lecturing tone. "Tell me the truth. Does she ever beg you to fuck her like she is about to beg me?" Without waiting for an answer, he continued. "You know how it is with beautiful women. Once they get a taste of a real man, one who could protect her, they usually find that going back to the old, boring sex just doesn't cut it. After we've all had a turn at her, maybe we'll let her stay with us for a few days. After she experiences that… well, let's face it. She's out of your league anyway." He took his hand off her breast and placed it flat on her stomach, and began to slowly slide it down. "A real blonde," he continued his taunt as his hand finally reached its target. "That's most impressive. Thanks for being such a pussy and bringing me such a gift. My men and I appreciate it. Speaking of pussy…"

Even though the man was pretending to talk to Chuck, nobody was really paying attention to him sitting there passively, apparently wearing sunglasses to hide the tears. It took a moment for the Intersect to finish uploading. But once it did, Chuck could immediately feel it coursing through his veins. He had never come close to this feeling before. He honestly had no idea what he was doing. He just allowed the Intersect to take over.

The three men who were guarding Chuck were perhaps a little distracted by the sight of a helpless and naked Sarah being held up just a few feet in front of them. That lapse in concentration to their duty probably didn't cost them the ass kicking they were about to receive. They really stood no chance against the Intersect anyway. But it also didn't help. All three found that their knives were quickly lying on the ground. Then they, just as quickly, found that they were joining them, courtesy of two totally disabling kicks to the sides of knees and one hellacious overhand right.

The two men that were holding Sarah dropped her to join the fight. As soon as they let her go, she slowly collapsed into a semiconscious, naked heap. Both men that went to challenge Chuck were quickly very sorry. Well, once they woke up they would be sorry. He stopped one with a flying kick to the middle of his chest. The other fell victim to another more traditional 'good night, sweet prince' overhand right.

Since three men had gone with Joey, that left the leader. Chuck wasn't about to deliver a merciful quick ending to his animal. After just a few moments of sparing he quickly had him in an arm bar. It was a helpless, incredibly painful submission hold. "Handcuff keys," he growled.

"In my back pocket," quickly came the tortured answer. Nobody could withstand that amount of pain.

Chuck was so furious that he intentionally broke the arm of the 'man' who would dare strike, mock, and was clearly about to rape his wife. It snapped with a sickening crack. "And no," he growled. "To answer your question, she never begs me to fuck her. She doesn't have to. You are right about one thing. She is totally out of my league." But currently he was too concerned about her lying there to take the time required to finish him off. So he fished the keys out of the now unconscious man's pocket and quickly unlocked the cuffs from Sarah's wrists. She was still collapsed more or less in a heap but she was slowly regaining her bearings. "Are you okay?" he asked as he sat next to her on the ground and frantically wrapped his arms around her.

"I'm okay," she finally said rather numbly, feeling her jaw, clearly still trying to shake out the cobwebs. "I just caught a couple punches. Let me rest for a second. I'll be fine. Chuck, you need to go help Joey."

But just as Chuck carefully helped Sarah to a more comfortable position, Joey came stumbling out of the bushes. "The three guys with me saw what was happening and ran off," she said.

Sarah locked eyes with her 'friend' and asked the unspoken question.

Joey almost lost it when Sarah's first reaction was for Chuck to go help her. She immediately understood what Sarah was asking her. The fact that she was showing this concern made her feel even worse, if that was possible. Her mission was now in shambles. At no time in all of their planning sessions did anyone discuss the possibility of meek, mild, sweet Chuck going all Rambo and disabling six trained agents. But it did seem like a bit of justice. The truth was she was feeling more proud of him than anything. She really didn't know how to proceed, but now her first priority was to get Chuck and Sarah out of the area and allow her friends to retreat and get the medical attention that several of them so clearly required without blowing her cover. "No," she said with a sad shake of her head. "He didn't have time. He felt me up a little. You?"

"Same," was Sarah's single word reply. Joey's news was a relief. Chuck and Sarah debated what to do for a moment as the girls struggled to put back on their bikinis. Sarah was still furious, seriously wanted to break some necks of the still unconscious men. But Joey started crying and pleaded with them to just leave before the three men that had escaped returned with help. She went to help Josh, who now seemed relatively fine, to his feet.

"You're still hurt," Chuck said in obvious concern for Sarah. "Please let me carry you."

Sarah was now recovered enough to reach back and launch a devastating kick deep into the gut of the leader who was on the ground just beginning to groan and regain some consciousness after Chuck broke his forearm. He could now add some broken ribs to his list of injuries that would make every breath he took for the next month or so a painful reminder of how dangerous it was to run afoul of Sarah Bartowski. "That was for insulting the love of my life," she said, knowing full well that he couldn't hear her. Chuck could. That's all that mattered. "He's much more man than you'll ever be. The truth is that if he ever wanted me to beg him, I would… gladly."

It felt so good that she found the unconscious man that she saw punch Chuck earlier and gave him a similar reminder set of broken ribs. The act actually caused her to smile a little, mostly at his sweet concern. "You can't carry me through this terrain," she explained. "Come on, Chuck, even if you are the new badass Intersect 2.0. It's much too steep. Besides, I'm not the one who I'm worried about right now. Are you sure that you're okay? Maybe I should carry you."

Chuck was very relieved that she was clearly feeling good enough to tease him a little. So he took a second to assess the carnage that the Intersect had wrought. "I feel fantastic," he said as he looked at his own hands in wonder. "Did you actually see any of that? I took out those guys with one punch. One punch."

In spite of the ridiculousness of the situation, Sarah couldn't keep the partial grin from her face at his natural exuberance. "I guess that Bryce got his wish," she sighed. "One good thing, I'm so very proud of you. You were beyond impressive."

Chuck pulled Sarah out of earshot. "I flashed on them," he said softly making sure his voice wasn't overheard. "The new Intersect must have included an update. All of those men, including Josh and Joey are recent graduates of the same Academy class. They are all CIA Agents."

Sarah thought about it for a second. "Shit!" she finally hissed, making sure to keep her voice down. "Do you know what that means?"

"Yup," Chuck said in clear anger. "We were just set up. They were going to rape you right in front of me so that I would upload the Intersect to be able to protect you in the future."

Sarah was actually impressed that Chuck had so quickly come to that awful conclusion, even more impressed that he didn't seem surprised. He always saw the good in people, almost to a fault. "Yup," she said. "Do you know what that means?"

"Someone's about to die?" Chuck asked with absolutely no humor in his voice.

"Yup."

x-x-x-x-x


	33. Out of Character

_I still don't own Chuck._

_If you enjoyed this or any of the stories on this site, please take a second and send the author a review. It only takes a second – and it really, really makes a difference. That's probably more important than ever now that the series has ended. If you want to keep the Chuck fandom alive and continue to read about these characters, you really need to think about rewarding the people whose hard work make that possible._

**Out of Character**

x-x-x-x-x

Sarah was quite frankly ready to take Joey and kick the crap out of her… and if the truth of this ridiculous situation also came oozing out in the process, well that would be okay too. Given her current mood, it might actually have been some fun. But she never really got the chance. When she turned to where Josh was holding her, she could plainly see the tears steaming down her face.

"They weren't supposed to hit you," Joey said. "That was never part of the plan."

By now, Sarah had figured out pretty much what the plan was. But there was also no sense in tipping off Joey. So she played dumb. "Plan?" she asked. "What plan?"

Seeing his partner struggle for words, Josh stepped up. "They weren't really going to rape you, Sarah," he said, stepping forward and putting himself protectively between a clearly livid killing machine and his partner. It was perhaps unknowingly the bravest thing he had ever done. "Our assignment was just to scare you, to make Chuck believe you were about to be gang raped in front of him. They were going to get spooked and run off just before anything real happened."

Sarah wasn't about to give up that they had already pretty much already figured all of that out. It was a little reassuring to hear that they were going to stop short, but very, very little. "Assignment?" she asked. "What kind of assignment. From who? Why?"

"We're all agents," Josh said with a sigh. "We all graduated from the Academy six months ago. Our assignment came from an Agent Larkin. Why? I have no idea. You know how assignments work. They don't tell you why."

Joey finally composed herself. "He wasn't supposed to hit you once you were secured, Sarah," she said shakily. "Making sure that you weren't injured was a rule of engagement. They were just going to use whatever force it took to subdue you and make you believe the attack was real."

Sarah stepped as close to Joey as Josh would allow without physically pushing him out of the way. The tone in her voice left zero doubt as to her mood.

"Okay. Tell me something. Exactly where is Agent Larkin right now?"

x-x-x-x-x

Laura sat on the deck deep in thought. She was someplace in the middle of the Gulf of Mexico in international waters. Or maybe this was the Caribbean Sea. Or maybe even the Atlantic Ocean. The actual borders on those things were pretty much subject to interpretation. Bottom line is she wasn't really sure exactly where she was. With nothing but water surrounding you, it was hard to even know what direction you were looking at. When they were at sea they typically had breakfast on the forward deck. Breakfast was even an odd term. They were maybe eating homemade waffles topped with fresh strawberries and real whipped cream, but it was almost noon.

The truth was that she had never hated an assignment more than she currently hated this particular one. As much as she looked forward to ending this sadistic bastard, now she had an even better reason. She couldn't wait to get back to Burbank, maybe a little to find out from Sarah the juicy details of her honeymoon, of which she was sure there would be many that the new bride would take great pleasure in rubbing into her face, but also for… other reasons.

One thing was for sure. Whoever said that crime doesn't pay had never seen this yacht. It was beyond fabulous. Yacht wasn't even the right word. It was more like a mini cruse ship. There were ten men on board, Rock's most trusted bodyguards. That didn't count the captain or the chief. But the ship could have easily accommodated several times that. The only thing that was missing was an activities director.

Another thing was for damn sure. They didn't have any use for an activities director. Rock only had one particular activity in mind. Laura always thought that he was sex crazed before. Well, it was nothing like now. She wasn't sure where he had been for the past ten days, she thought maybe South America someplace. He wouldn't give her any details, other than that the trip was very successful and he had some new coke to try. But wherever he had been he clearly hadn't gotten laid much.

Laura really didn't mind the constant fucking all that much. At least it meant that she didn't have to make conversation with him. All she had to do was put her knees in the air and allow him to do all of the work. An occasional encouraging moan of 'fuck me harder' and he was good to go. And it did give her the opportunity to fondly remember the details of her last night in Vegas. He had been so cute. Even thinking about that last time in bed got her worked up. And seeing as she was lying there with her knees up in the air taking her pounding anyway, she might as well get some pleasure out of it, right?

Rock interrupted her thoughts with one of the few non sexual things that he ever said to her. "So Laura," he said as he put down his cup of coffee. "Who is this Casey?"

Laura fought to keep the guilty blush from her face. She knew that she had just fucked up big time. She had just allowed her personal feelings to lead her into making a rookie mistake. These drug running bastards all had an important characteristic in common. Their fuck toys were very personal property to them, a bragging right, almost a competition. They were crazy possessive of you. Oh, they didn't mind whoring you out when their needs made it convenient. Offering your blowjob services as a reward to one of his men for a job well done wasn't uncommon at all. But moaning another man's name when they were fucking you was probably the very worst thing that you could do short of blowing your cover. It was going to take some serious groveling to get out of this one.

Laura forced the shy smile onto her face and grabbed his hand. "It's not what you're thinking," she said. "Casey was my puppy when I was growing up."

Rock was maybe a man of few words. He probably didn't even know all that many. But she could see the skeptical look on his face. "You're probably wondering why I would be thinking of my puppy while we're fucking," she said. It was a fair question. Laura found herself suddenly wondering the same thing. Maybe a little flattery would work. Guys like this usually ate that crap up. "The truth is that I was doing it for you. You had me so quickly on the edge and I was trying to make it last as long as possible. I wanted to make sure that I was there for you. So I was trying to get my mind off how great you were feeling and what you were doing by thinking about Casey." That part wasn't really a lie. She was thinking about Casey to get her mind off what Rock was doing to her. That was something that would sadly have to stop.

That tactic almost always worked with guys like this. But he still didn't look totally convinced. So it was on to groveling step two. "Please don't be mad at me," she said in a soft pouting voice. "You know how much I hate that. Yes, I was insensitive. I shouldn't have done it. I'm very sorry if I made you jealous. I'll do anything you want to make it up to you. Come below with me and I'll get on my knees and beg for your forgiveness." She was maybe teasing him but that was also dropping the big one. She hadn't delivered Rock her very best effort yet. It was something that she was saving for a rainy day. And even though there wasn't a single cloud in the sky, this certainly qualified. A sore jaw for a couple of hours as she brought him to the very edge and then backed off, only to repeat the process over and over was a small price to pay. When she finally allowed him the explosive release, it would surely make him forget why he was mad at her, and quite possibly his own name.

"What would be wrong with begging for my forgiveness right here?"

That surprised her more than a little. He had always taken her someplace private for sex. And they were maybe alone on the deck. But clearly people could see them if they wanted to. Indeed, he rather obviously pushed his chair away from the table and turned it so that anyone in the cabin who wanted would have a clear unobstructed view of every stroke of her apology. Given the show she was about to put on, a crowd of those pigs would almost assuredly want to witness it. Hopefully she was just being punished and this wasn't the start of a trend. Even more critical, hopefully she could make this such a wonderful experience for him that no further punishment would be deemed necessary. After all, she was the only female on the ship. This could get very, very bad if he was seriously displeased with her and wanted to make a point. There was no way to fight them. And the tiny bikini Rock insisted that she almost wear surely left no room to hide a weapon. No, this was a situation where she clearly had no choice but to smile, take her punishment, and make him forgive her… and they both knew it.

When she stood to begin her punishment, he stopped her. "If you were really sorry, you'd put on a show for me and the men first to get me in the mood," he said with a leer.

That got Laura a little worried. _He really must be pissed._ For one thing, he was always in the mood. It also confirmed that he had planned on something like this happening this morning and they surely had an audience. "Okay," she said as she stood and made a show out of slowly pulling on the strings of her top until it dropped to the deck. Then she as slowly as she could slid her bottom off and kicked it at him playfully. "Let me prove to you how sorry I am. If you want me to do this here, I said that I would do anything."

Rock has already lost his suit. The instant she hit her knees, he was, well, a rock. No surprise there, the man had an almost perpetual hard-on. So she bypassed the usual preparation activities in such a situation and made a big show of looking into his eyes submissively as she began, slowly at first. After a couple of playful strokes she began her penance in earnest. But his hands pressing firmly on the top of her head plainly said that she wasn't going to be in charge of this session. Laura made a mental note to be far more careful about where she fanaticized over Casey. One good thing, with her mouth full like this she couldn't very well make another stupid mistake like moaning his name. And there was also a ray of good news here. If Casey realized it or not…

He now owed her one.

x-x-x-x-x

Josh knew that it was up to him to take charge. So he gave Chuck the car keys and sent them back on their own. He had two reasons. First, he wanted to get Sarah and the fire in her eyes away from Joey. Who knew what she was capable of? She was still clearly livid. And in Joey's emotional state, she probably wasn't going to be able to effectively defend herself against another agent, much less against one with the reputation of Sarah Walker. And after watching Chuck blow through those six men like a hot knife through butter, he knew that he wouldn't be able to offer her any assistance.

But even more important was his team. Several of them needed some serious medical attention. And with only the three men totally uninjured, they would clearly need some help. A couple would be relatively okay once they fully regained consciousness. In fact the groaning indicated that several were about to do that. The man with the broken arm and ribs would hopefully be able to walk on his own once his arm was splinted. But the two men that Chuck had kicked no longer had functioning knee joints. They would need to be carried. Fortunately they had a couple of makeshift stretchers standing by for precisely this contingency. But getting them down this mountain would require four people per stretcher. It was far too steep for anything less.

Currently however, Josh's top concern was his partner. Joey was as shaken as he had ever seen her. As soon as Chuck and Sarah were out of earshot, he turned to her. "Are you okay?" he asked.

Joey took a deep breath and composed herself. "I think so," she said. "We were just following orders, right?"

Josh was honestly concerned for her. "Of course," he said. "You know, Joey, we're going to be asked to do things that are a lot worse than this, right?"

"I know," Joey sighed. "And I'll be there when it matters. But it's different when it's one of your own. She's a legend. She didn't deserve this."

"I know," Josh said with the beginnings of a smile. "She was pretty pissed, wasn't she?"

Joey did a double take. "Wouldn't you be?" she asked.

"There is one good thing about this," he said as he broke the embrace. "You finally admitted that you love me. I have to tell you, I don't see it working between us, Joey. We'd always be fighting over the same men."

That broke most of the tension and got them both laughing. Joey's came out pretty wet. She fully recognized that he was trying to get her mind off of the situation. It was one of the sweetest things she had ever witnessed. "Here's the irony," she said, matching his teasing tone. "Right now I'm pretty sure that I don't even like you all that much. And like you could ever take a man away from me."

"Dream on."

x-x-x-x-x

Chuck and Sarah were finally back in their hotel room. As it turned out, the walk down the mountain wasn't nearly as hard as the walk up. So they were quickly at the car. Clearly they had tons to talk about. But by unspoken agreement, they drove back in silence, waiting until they were alone and comfortable.

Sarah had tons of things to worry about. But currently highest on the list was what 2.0 was going to do to Chuck. Physically he seemed fine. Sure, he was still more than a little pissed. But Chuck wasn't one to stay angry for very long. She knew it would quickly fade away, maybe too quickly. In fact if anything he was clearly still feeling the rush and was basically even a little giddy.

No, maybe she didn't have to worry so much about him physically. But that still left psychologically. Chuck was now plainly the most powerful man in the world. That was bound to affect him. She had seen it a hundred times in training. Once people were taught how to fight they felt powerful, especially the men. And when men were given that much power that quickly, it invariably changed them. It made them arrogant. It made them demanding. It made them want to explore the edges of what their new power would get them. The problem was that she couldn't think of any way to talk to him about this except the obvious. "Can we talk?" she finally asked.

"Of course we can talk," Chuck said. "How is your jaw? Should I get you some medicine? Some ice maybe?"

Sarah smiled as she recognized his protective streak kick in. That was very hopeful. "I'm fine," she insisted. "I've certainly been hit a lot harder than that. Besides, you paid him back. He'll be in a cast for a few months. I'm surprised that you didn't kill him."

"I wanted to."

Sarah tried hard to hide it, but that had her very concerned. Chuck wasn't a killer. He didn't even think like that. "Why didn't you?" she asked cautiously.

"Because I know that you wouldn't want me to," he said. "Besides, come on, Sarah. I'm not a killer. We both know that. I can't imagine intentionally taking someone's life."

Sarah's concern vanished like a puff of smoke on a windy day. "I know," she said suddenly relieved.

"Although I may make an exception for Bryce Larkin."

Sarah knew that he was teasing. She did. But she couldn't help the sigh.

Chuck smiled. "So," he said. "When are you going to tell me what you're so worried about? You're afraid that the Intersect is going to turn me into a macho, sex crazed killer? I thought that you wanted me to be more aggressive."

Sarah couldn't keep the smile from her face at how well he knew her. "I'll admit that I'm more than a little frustrated," she said. "I'm stuck. If I admit how proud I was of you today, it'll get you thinking that I haven't always been so proud of you that I could cry. If I defend Bryce and tell you that he was just following his orders and that I've done much worse things, it'll get you thinking that somehow I still have feelings for him and get you all jealous again. If I tell you the plain truth, that thinking about you beating down those six trained agents in my defense today is unquestionably the sexiest thing I've ever experienced and that my new biggest fantasy is for my husband with his new Intersect 2.0 superpowers to ravage me until I'm begging him to fuck me into submission, you'll interpret that as I was unhappy with you or unfulfilled by our sex life before somehow. I can't win. I honestly wouldn't mind a little of the sex crazed thing, hopefully without the macho. Chuck, I don't want you to change, not really. I love what I have."

That got a pretty good grin. "Let's take your frustration points one at a time," he said. "You've never, not once, given me any indication that you're not proud of me. I've always appreciated it. And I've always been so proud of you. I love how you get all badass in protecting me. I'm still more than willing to let you take the lead in the ass kicking department. But I'm also happy that now I can get badass and protect you a little. Is that wrong?"

"It's not wrong," Sarah said. "Of course it's not wrong. I'm not saying that. It's sweet. But I also understand how big of a temptation it is to solve all of your problems by fighting, especially when you're facing stupidity and you know for certain that you can win. I struggle with that sometimes too. I'm just saying that the Chuck Bartowski that I know and love can solve just as many problems with his brain as with his fists. I'd hate to lose that. Using the Intersect to kick the ass of every man who glanced at my ass the wrong way in a bar would be fun at first. Trust me. I've been there. But it would get really old really fast, for both of us."

"Duly noted," Chuck said. "I don't think you have to worry too much about me turning all macho. If anyone ever does more than look, I reserve the right to kick their ass. And I'll admit that it feels good to be able to say that. But I'll make a conscious effort to not overdo it. Is that fair?"

Sarah nodded. "That's fair," she said. "Thank you."

"Good," Chuck said. "I also don't think that you have to worry about me being jealous of Bryce. Okay, yes, I once was pretty childishly jealous. I'll freely admit that. I think I'm over that now. I get that you feel sorry for him, so do I a little. He'll never know what it feels like to be loved. And the really sad part is that he doesn't even know what he's missing. I also get that you think you were like him once. But there's a key difference. Look at Casey. Who is more hard core than he is? Yet when it comes between following orders and our friendship, I have no question what he'll choose. Just like I never had any question about you."

"That's where you are wrong," she said. "I know that you love Casey. The fact of the matter is that he loves you too in his own stunted way. But choosing you over orders is a very recent development, for both of us. Casey and I were both exactly like Bryce… Listen to me here Chuck. We were exactly like him. I know that you don't want to believe that, but we both would have once followed any order almost no matter how horrible, me actually more than him. And the only reason that's no longer true is that we both fell under the evil spell of this curly haired nerd who totally changed us. I'm no longer that heartless spy who broke your heart by telling you I was in love with someone else, all to follow a stupid order. I'm never going to be her again. You saved me then just as surely as you did this afternoon. I was every bit as proud of you and as grateful then as I am now."

"So," Chuck said as his grin faded. "I'm a little confused. We're not going to kill Bryce? Who are we going to kill?"

"I'm not sure if we're going to kill Bryce or not," Sarah said with her eyes flashing. "I haven't totally ruled it out. Probably not. We're going after the root cause."

Chuck's eyes widened in surprise. "You can't be serious."

"Do I look serious?" she asked rhetorically. "It's time to have a serious talk with Diane Beckman."

"What are we going to say to her?"

"Chuck," Sarah said softly. "I'm going to ask you for a big favor. Probably the biggest favor I've ever asked of you. Can I please go by myself to talk to Bryce and Beckman without it driving you crazy?"

Chuck paused for a long moment. "Tell me why," he finally said.

"I was afraid that you might take that the wrong way," Sarah said sadly. "I'm sorry if I'm putting doubts in your head. That's the very last thing… Look, it's not anything like that at all. It's not anything about me not trusting you. It's just that this is going to be a very tense discussion. They'll be much more honest about what they really want if they think they're talking to Agent Walker. And I simply can't be Agent Walker with you standing beside me. It just wouldn't work."

"Okay," Chuck said, desperate for something to change the subject for both of their sakes. "I do want to point out that Josh and Joey confessed to us. That had to cost them something, right? I hope they're going to be okay. So maybe there is some hope for them yet."

If Chuck realized it or not, he couldn't have possibly said anything better to calm Sarah's fears. That was her guy at his amazing best. He liked people, looked for the best in them. Spending any time worrying that he might become cold and arrogant was… well, silly. And he was right. Blowing their cover was a major mission screw up, one that could very well get them killed someday. She found herself suddenly concerned. She could have easily written it off as the protective concern of a veteran agent for a rookie. But she immediately knew that wasn't it. "I hope they're going to be okay too," she said.

"Maybe you could go talk to her," he suggested gently. "She looked pretty shaken. Maybe she would be grateful to hear some advice from the best field agent in the world."

That got an even broader smile. He knew her so well. She wasn't sure if she was ready to forgive Joey. She wasn't even sure if she ever would. But she had changed. He had changed her. And it was definitely for the better. She was actually beginning to like herself. "You're rubbing off on me," she said. "Please don't make me talk to her until I've had a chance to cool down. That might not go so well. Now let's get back to business. This is still only the second day of my honeymoon. It's also my genie day. When I get back, I expect you to rub off on me in a more literal sense."

The blush quickly hit Chuck's face. "Sarah," he said. "Do you really want to use the Intersect… for sex?"

That got a grin. "Uh huh," she said. "That stupid Intersect has been a pain in our collective ass. As long as we're stuck with it, we might as well get some enjoyment out of it, right? When I get back, I want you to show me what it can do. I believe that you know the specifics of what I expect."

"Ravage? Really, Sarah? That's what you want?"

That got an even bigger grin. "Uh huh," she said.

x-x-x-x-x

Bryce Larkin sat impatiently in his hotel room waiting for a mission report. They were supposed to be back here over an hour ago. So when the knock finally came at the door he opened it with jerk. "Where have you been?" he asked. "Do you…"

Bryce's rant was stopped in mid sentence as Sarah's right hand, tape wrapped firmly around her fist in clear anticipation of this punch, came crashing into his jaw. He was clearly surprised by the punch and just as clearly dazed. He quickly fell in a heap. But he was also a trained agent. He knew better than to try and get up. So he stayed down and instinctively tried to roll out of her reach.

Unfortunately, he had several major facts working against him. Sarah was just as trained at hand to hand combat skills as he was. In fact, she was more talented and certainly more experienced. She also had something of a reputation for not allowing an adversary time to recover once she had an advantage. Her rage and the adrenalin boost that came along for the ride gave her a decided advantage. And last but certainly not least, his staying on the floor brought him fully within easy range of Sarah's favorite weapon. Her savage kick to his abdomen took the wind, and any thought of further fight out of him.

Sarah allowed him to lie there panting for breath in his fetal position for a while. "Sarah," he moaned. "Why did you do that?"

That earned him another savage kick. "Only my friends and partners get to call me Sarah," she said. "You're no longer either. If you must, you may address me as Mrs. Bartowski. Why? You would really ask me why? Come on, Agent Larkin. Even you aren't that stupid."

Bryce finally recovered enough to speak. "I was following orders, Sar… um, Mrs. Bartowski," he moaned. "Certainly you can understand that. How did you find out?"

"Your Intersect contained a data update," Sarah growled. "Not anticipating that he would flash on them as soon as he uploaded it was one of those 'inattention to details' moments that you're oh so famous for in mission planning. So Agent Larkin, care to tell me why I was just stripped naked, forcibly felt up in front of my husband, and very nearly gang raped by nine rookie CIA Agents under your command this afternoon?"

Bryce mentally kicked himself. She was right. He didn't anticipate Chuck would upload it so soon. Not planning for the possibility that he would flash on the agents was a major fuck up. But at least that meant that Chuck had uploaded it. That's all that really mattered. So he didn't answer her question, not really. "I was following orders," he insisted with a moan. "Are you okay?"

"Don't pretend that you give a fuck about my well being," Sarah growled as she unleashed another kick, this one perhaps not quite as vicious. "It's beyond insulting. Understand something. You and I are officially through… on any level. You can now scratch one more person off the list of people who cares if you live or die. If this new Intersect hurts my husband in any way, I'll hunt you down and spend a week making your death as slow and hellish as I possibly can. I do understand about orders. That's the only reason that you're still breathing. There is one thing and one thing only that I want from you." Sarah pointed to his new laptop sitting on the desk.

"Get your commanding officer on the fucking line."

x-x-x-x-x


	34. No Respect, No Loyalty

_I still don't own Chuck._

_If you enjoyed this or any of the stories on this site, please take a second and send the author a review. It only takes a second – and it really, really makes a difference. That's probably more important than ever now that the series has ended. If you want to keep the Chuck fandom alive and continue to read about these characters, you really need to think about rewarding the people whose hard work make that possible._

**No Respect, No Loyalty**

x-x-x-x-x

Being the Director of the NSA was a high pressure job. General Beckman was fairly used to being wakened in the middle of the night with some emergency or another. It probably happened a couple of times a week. And with the three hour time difference between Washington and the West Coast, very few calls from Team Bartowski came during business hours. Not to mention the furious calls from superiors demanding that she explain the latest foolish thing Bartowski had talked his team into doing.

Of course she was currently rather anxiously awaiting a status update from Agent Larkin anyway. She also knew full well they were in Hawaii with a five hour time difference. So she wasn't all that surprised when she looked at the clock and it read a little after two. She threw on her robe and quickly walked into her communications room to stop her laptop from making that infernal racket.

She expected to see Bryce Larkin's face. He was definitely there. Most of his face was hidden by the ice pack he was gingerly holding to his jaw. But she was however very surprised to see Sarah Walker on the screen.

"Hey, Diane," Sarah said cheerfully with a wave. She was sounding every bit like she was talking to a girlfriend in the afternoon. "Sorry for late call. I understand that you need all of the beauty sleep that you can possibly get. I just wanted to let you know that you're now a dead woman walking."

Beckman wasn't sure which offended her most, the threat, or the calling her by her first name. "Do you have a clue who you're talking to?" she asked incredulously.

Sarah's voice lost none of its playful tone. "Of course I know who you are, Diane," she said sarcastically. "How can you ask that? After all we've been through together? You're General Diane Beckman, the late director of the NSA. Sometime in the next week you're going to wake up and I'm going to be standing there grinning at your choice of sleepwear. Well, I'm afraid that's the last thing you're going to remember."

"Okay, Agent Walker," Beckman replied with a sigh. "I understand that you're upset. But let's stop with the false bravado. There is no way for you to get through my security, and we both know it. I assume that your call means that Agent Bartowski has uploaded the new Intersect."

"Remember the Prince Assad mission?" Sarah asked as she examined her fingernails casually while ignoring the question. "I'm sure that you do. You're the one who gave me the assignment. Besides, it's quite famous. I believe that he had far more personal security than you do. Why don't you ask him about my false bravado concerning getting through his security? It was actually not all that hard. It's the damndest thing, Diane. As it turns out when a guard is trying to look down your shirt, he doesn't see the knife coming until it's already slashed his throat. Oh silly me, I forgot. You can't ask him. He's dead, isn't he? Just like you're about to be. By the way, I believe that we've had this discussion multiple times. I'm no longer Agent Walker."

"You're Agent Walker until I say otherwise!" Beckman growled. "And the plain truth is that I can make Agent Walker do anything I want. She fucked up. She broke the first rule. She fell in love. We both know that she would now do anything to protect the people she loves. Don't make me prove it by giving her an assignment that her new husband might not approve of. Maybe this time Agent Carter won't be available to bail you out and take the fucking from the mark that was meant for you. Trust me, I will prove it if you make me. You need to stop arguing with me, accept the situation for what it is, and use it to your advantage. You really have no choice. I'm not taking anything away from your considerable skills. But it's a numbers game. We both know that if we fight, I'll eventually win."

Beckman's voice softened just a bit. "It really doesn't have to be this way, Sarah," she said. "I'm not eager to treat you like this. But that's to your work in Vegas we have been handed an amazing opportunity. We have an excellent chance to catch Alexi Volkoff in the act of transferring nuclear weapons to terrorists. Set aside your anger for a second and think about what that means. It's much bigger than Fulcrum. But if we fuck this up or sit on our hands and let it happen, fifty million people die. I'm afraid that's much bigger than just you or me, Agent Walker. So play time is now over. I need my best team. If I have to force you into doing the right thing, that is exactly what I'm prepared to do. But I do understand it would be better for both of us if I could somehow encourage you to do this willingly. I'm also prepared to make a huge effort to do that. Aren't you even a little interested in hearing what I'm prepared to offer?"

"For starters what makes you think I'd believe anything that you'd promise?" Sarah growled. "There is always going to be the next threat. It's the way the world is. I'd rather fight you and lose than become your slave. Understand something. You've lost any measure of trust or respect or loyalty from me that you ever enjoyed. Yes, I fully recognize that there are people that I love, people you could threaten. But you deceive yourself if you think that there isn't a line that I won't be pushed over. Causing my husband a second of pain in our marriage is clearly across that line, so you can shove your punishment seduction mission far, far up your ass. Maybe there is something else here that you should consider. If we do fight… I've never fucking lost. I wouldn't bet against me."

"Hear me out," Beckman said. "Your point about trusting me, okay it's well taken. But in this case your interests may coincide with mine. Complete this mission, capture the goods on Volkoff, and we'll remove the Intersect from your husband. You two can ride off into the sunset with the respect of a grateful nation rewarded with very generous pensions. You'll be free to find your own little corner of the world and make the horde of little Bartowski babies that you apparently daydream about."

"You can do that?" Sarah asked, suddenly interested. "Why would you do that?"

"I believe we can," Beckman said. "Why would I do that? Do you really think that I want an Intersect 2.0 running around the streets, especially one that I can't control? And yes, I understand that I could solve that problem another way. But you're right. You'd make me pay a huge price. I don't question your ability to do that, Agent Walker. I'm demanding that you do the right thing here. I'm also willing to do the right thing. It's a lot easier on everyone if we just come to an understanding, save the world, and go on with our lives forgetting that the other ever existed, isn't it? I also don't expect you to trust me. I'll put you directly in touch with Dr. Cole."

"Dr. Cole?" Sarah asked.

"Joan Cole is head of the Intersect Project," Beckman answered. "They have been working on an extraction process."

"Understand that I'm not agreeing to anything yet," Sarah said. "But do you have a specific plan?"

"Not so fast," Beckman said. "You don't trust me. Well I don't trust you all that much right now either. We're not sure of the new Intersect's capabilities or limitations. So I think that perhaps a field test might be in order."

"What sort of test?" Sarah asked warily.

"Tomorrow at oh six hundred local time my plane will be at the airport," Beckman said. "Agent Carter would be very useful on this Volkoff mission. For one thing, she's the only one on the team who will still get naked when it's required. In exactly forty-eight hours from the time the plane goes wheels up, the cover on her current assignment will become tragically compromised. Your test is to rescue her."

Sarah knew full well what happened to a female agent once her cover was blown. There were very few ways to be killed less horrible or less dignified than being passed around a horde of men, each fuck more violent than the previous one. When they finally allowed her to die, it would be a blessing. "If anything happens to Laura," she growled.

"Agent Walker, can we please skip this second round of threats?" Beckman asked sarcastically. "In the interest of time, if nothing else. We've already been over this. It's becoming somewhat tiresome. I think I get the point. I mean how many times can you kill me anyway? For the record, I don't want anything bad to happen to her either. She is a valuable agent. It would sadden me to have to sacrifice her. That's why I want your and my new Intersect's very best effort. I'll have Agent Casey meet you in Miami. You'll need additional resources. Agent Larkin here is fairly competent. You two have a successful history of working as a team. Do you want him to accompany you?"

"I can't have teammates I don't trust," Sarah growled with absolutely no humor in her voice. "That's also why you and I will never work together. Well, besides the fact that you hide behind your desk all day, manipulating others into doing all the hard stuff. So not unless he's tied to the other end of the rope that the plane is dragging. I'd accept that tiny bit of amusement."

Beckman fought to keep in the snicker. It wasn't the time or place. "Fair enough," she said. "If you have anything else that you need, now is the time to ask."

Sarah thought about it for a moment. Whatever their long term plans, Beckman had just rather cleverly trapped her. There was now zero question as to what she was going to do. They both knew it. Even if Agent Walker's first reaction would have been to tell the good general to go fuck herself, she was no longer Agent Walker. Chuck would never go for walking away and allowing any harm to come to Laura. Then it hit her. If she was going to claim that Chuck had changed her, and she was, maybe it was time to start acting like it. "I'll have to talk to Chuck," she said. "He gets a vote."

That actually got a short sarcastic laugh. "Please," Beckman said. "Are we really going to pretend that you couldn't talk him into swimming back to Miami if you really wanted to? Maybe you could break out a little of that tried and true 'looking down your shirt' thing that you're so proud of."

"He doesn't have to look down my shirt," Sarah growled. "I take it off for him whenever he wants… as slowly and sexily as I possibly can. I don't use sex to get Chuck to do the things that I want. We make love. I get that you don't understand the difference. If you did you'd be a different person, maybe less crusty, surely less miserable to be around. It's hard for me to feel sorry for you about that… but I do." She turned and stomped towards the exit, turning back for an instant when she reached it. "Have Josh and Joey meet us at the plane prepared to join the team. I'll make a final decision after I talk to them." She slammed the door forcefully behind her.

Even though Bryce was still standing there, Beckman was clearly basically talking to herself. "Well," she said.

"That went well."

x-x-x-x-x

"This is the wrong approach," Joan snapped in frustration. They were still sitting naked on the bench with the sheet wrapped around them, basically in the same position as well over a day ago. "There are just too many details to work out in the amount of time that we have. We should just extract it."

"We can't just extract it," Steven argued. "Let's face it. You team is not all that close to a workable extraction process that wouldn't risk killing him. There is not enough time for you and me to work all of those details out. It would take us months. This will buy us that time."

Joan suddenly realized how harsh she sounded. In fact, they were making excellent progress. So she leaned into him affectionately. "You're right," she sighed. "I'm very sorry that I snapped at you. That was unacceptable."

Steven wrapped his free arm around her just as affectionately. "There's no need to be sorry," he said softly. "We've been at this for almost two whole days. You're tired and hungry. Maybe we should take a break."

"We don't have time to take a break," Joan said. "The clock is ticking. Didn't you just read the email I just got from General Beckman? He uploaded it. She is looking for an extraction process. By our calculations, he only has a few days before he really starts to degrade. And once that happens it will progress geometrically."

"You can't work for a whole week without getting some sleep," Steven insisted. "It's not possible. We're not going to be productive if we're bone tired. So why don't we take a nap after you tell me the real reason you're so frustrated. Be honest with me. Have I done something?"

Joan pondered the question for a long while. It was cute that he knew her so well after only being together for a few days now. And their relationship was built on frank honesty. They were scientists. And it's what science was based on… facts. "Is there a reason that you've stopped looking at my chest?" she asked. "Are you getting bored with me already?"

"I have a confession to make," Steven said with a grin. "I actually can see your reflection in the monitor. Trust me. I don't think you have to worry much about me being bored… well, ever. In fact, in your reflection they actually look bigger." Steven suddenly realized what he had just said. "Oh my God. Joan. I didn't mean to imply that I'm unhappy with the size of your chest. They're perfect. Um, I mean you're perfect. I'm so sorry."

Joan watched him ramble for a long moment. It was far too cute to not let him off the hook. "I'm hardly perfect," she said with a grin. "But it was nice of you to say so. I'm not the kind of girl who needs a lot of sweet talk, but that was nice."

But Steven really wasn't ready to be let off the hook quite so easily. "I've loved two women in my life," he said sadly. "I lost the first one because I didn't give her what she needed and she had to go to another man to find it. I don't want to make that same mistake with you. So, Joan, I need a promise from you. If you're ever unhappy, please talk to me and give me a chance to fix it."

Joan was able to avoid crying last night when he told her the story of finding his first wife in bed with another man, barely. In fact, as she looked at the tears forming in his eyes as he told the story, she was more furious than sad. Crushing this sweetest guy in the world like that seemed obscene. If she ever got a chance to meet this Mary bitch, she vowed to give her a big piece of her mind, even if she was a badass ex CIA Agent. "I want you to listen to me," she said. "You're actually ahead of me. I've only loved one man in my life. In fact, two days ago I would have told you that I'm not even sure that I believed in love. My initial reaction is to scoff that I'm never going to be unhappy with you, at least not like that. And I'm more than comfortable promising that you'll never come home and find me in bed with another man. I think that's quite possibly the scummiest thing I've ever heard. I'm looking forward to telling her that in person someday. So even though I think it's a little unnecessary, I'll make you your promise, just because I think that it will do you some good to hear it. Okay?"

Steven nodded his head as the smile gradually reappeared. "Okay," he said. "Thank you."

That got the grin he was hoping for. "I'm actually looking for a more practical form of gratitude from you," she teased. "In fact if we're not in bed with you kissing your way down my body in something like ten seconds, you're going to see me very unhappy. I'm just saying."

"I thought we were tired," Steven said in mock horror as he matched her silly grin. "How is sex going to help that?"

"We are tired," Joan said as she pressed her lips to his.

"Sex is going to help me sleep."

x-x-x-x-x

Chuck could tell basically how the meeting went by the look on Sarah's face when she entered their room. "Our honeymoon is over, isn't it?" he asked sadly.

"No way," Sarah said firmly. "For one thing, nothing is decided. I told her that I couldn't commit to any mission without talking to you. But even if we do agree to do this for her, we're not getting cheated out of a single second of our honeymoon. We may have to call time out on it for a couple of weeks."

"What does she want us to do?" Chuck asked with a sigh.

As Sarah told him the story of her meeting with Beckman she was struck by the sadness in his eyes. "So," she said. "What do you think? Should we do this?"

"Do we really have a choice?"

"Not really," Sarah said. "Beckman has a point. She could make our lives pretty miserable. We'd have to run. We'd have no way to protect Ellie. And even with what we know and our skills, our odds wouldn't be good. We're probably better off giving her what she wants and holding her to her promise."

"I didn't mean that," Chuck said. "I wasn't talking about us. We can't stand by and allow Laura to be gang raped to death."

In spite of the tension in the room, Sarah couldn't help the sad smile at how well she knew her guy. "I know," she said. "I admit that I'm the stone cold spy. But that would be hard for me too."

"You're no longer the stone cold spy," Chuck said. "In fact we're going to have to give ourselves a pep talk to get some of that back or we're going to get killed. Admit something else. You're looking forward to this on some level."

Chuck probably didn't realize this. If he had, he wouldn't have done it. But there probably wasn't much worse he could have possibly said to her at that point. Sarah tried for a long moment to try and blink away the devastated tears. Finally she gave up and allowed them to flow down her cheeks. "That's exactly what Bryce thinks too," she finally said. "He thinks that I'll soon become bored with my normal life with you and need the excitement of a mission. Then he'll have me at his mercy. He thinks I'll do any sick thing that he asks. I expected that from him. I never expected that doubt from you. I thought that we were past this. What do I have to do to make you understand? Tell me and I'll do it."

Chuck wrapped his arms around her and held her close. "You totally misunderstood me," he said softly into the top of her head. "I'm sorry that I said it poorly. I get that is what Bryce thinks, maybe even what I feared at one time. But we are past this. You're a different person than you were when Bryce knew you. I have zero doubt about that. In fact, you're looking forward to settling down and raising our family maybe even more than I am. I didn't mean anything like that at all. What I meant was that you've spent your entire adult life fighting for something. Maybe this isn't a particular fight you would go looking for. Yes, she's forcing us. But at some level you'd enjoy putting someone as evil as Alexi Volkoff in his place. Even I would be proud of that. So as long as we have to do this, we might as well do it right and get some measure of satisfaction. I don't think there's anything wrong with admitting that is there?"

Sarah was probably never so relieved in her life, so much so that she sort of collapsed into him. "I'm sorry," she said. "You're right. I did misunderstand you. Yes, I'd like to see Volkoff fall. You're right about that too. But let's agree on one thing. We're not doing this for Beckman or the CIA. If we get the chance to fuck her or them over, we're going to take it. Okay?"

"Okay," Chuck said with a grin. "Sort of an odd pep talk. Not sure I'm comfortable with 'Beckman' and 'fuck' in the same sentence. But okay."

Sarah returned his grin. "I owe you a big apology," she said. "I can offer you sex to make this up to you. Would that work?"

That totally broke the tension in the room and got them laughing. "You said that you wanted to see what the Intersect could do," he said. "You mentioned ravage. Is that what you still want?"

"Very much so," Sarah said. "But not tonight, okay? Maybe we can call time out on the genie thing too. We'll pick it back up when we resume our honeymoon and can do it right. Tonight maybe we can climb into that huge bed, actually get between the sheets, and I can see what my husband, the love of my life, can do all on his own. Would that be okay with you? Maybe I can prime the pump a little with one of the negligees that I bought in Vegas. Do you have a preference?"

"The blue one," Chuck said quickly.

x-x-x-x-x

Chuck was sitting on the edge of the bed. He had stripped down to his boxers and was just waiting, for what he wasn't totally sure. But he was stunned when Sarah opened the bathroom door. Yes, she was beyond beautiful. That goes without saying. But with the bathroom lights on behind her, which was certainly strategic on her part, she looked more like an angel. She had taken her hair down from the ponytail that she always wore on a mission and it now hung in golden waves over her shoulders. She had clearly spent some time making sure that her makeup was perfect, all for him.

It was the damndest thing. Sarah couldn't hide the fact that she was a beautiful woman, almost no matter how she was dressed. But Chuck was always struck by how different she could make herself look. When she was dressed for a mission, she looked all business… and that business was badass. But when she wanted to look soft, she could put any actress or model to shame.

And this was Sarah at her absolute sexiest. Chuck was getting fairly accustomed to seeing Sarah naked. She loved teasing him about being embarrassed, often took great pleasure in rubbing his face in it at almost any time of the day or night, sometimes figuratively, other times quite literally. But he had never seen her like this. The blue negligee that he was looking forward to so much was perfect. Oh, it didn't hide a thing. But it accented her body perfectly as she stood there in that model's position and posed for him. And if the hardness of her nipples was any indication, and it always was, then she was just as excited posing for his amusement as he was. "Nice bit of pump priming there, Missy," he said with an approving grin. "Maybe after we're done being agents, we could go into plumbing."

Sarah was so aroused that she could barely stand. But she also couldn't keep in the very wet laugh. That was the thing that she loved best about being married to Chuck Bartowski. No matter what the situation, no matter how tired or depressed… or horny she was, he could always make her laugh. It was the very best thing in her life. She couldn't imagine her life the way it was before… before him. So she sauntered over to where he was sitting and raised her arms in a clear signal. "Don't you want to unwrap your present?" she asked.

The question was clearly rhetorical. So Chuck reached down for the hem of her negligee and slowly lifted it over her head until she stood naked before him. "It seems a shame," he said. "Such a beautiful garment, and you wore it for about a minute."

"You sound disappointed," Sarah said as she sat on his lap. "I could put it back on if you'd like. On the other hand, I'm pretty sure that I can feel that it had its intended effect. Either that or you've decided to take that plumber thing seriously and brought a lead pipe to bed with you."

"I was just making an observation," Chuck said softly between the ever increasing in intensity kisses. "I wasn't complaining."

Sarah wrapped her arms around his head and took the kissing thing to a new level. "I love you," she said softly between kisses. "That actually falls far short of how I feel. I'm afraid that I can't do any better with words. It frustrates me. I know that I don't say that to you nearly often enough. But it's still absolutely true. I'm working on it. I'm going to do better."

"I love you," Chuck responded. "I get that it's hard for you. I'm so proud of how hard you're trying. The truth is that you've been doing great. I'll admit that I love to hear it, especially since it's hard. You said that you wanted to get between the sheets. Can we maybe wait on that for a minute or two? You got me a present, it only seems fair."

Sarah nodded. "Anything that you want."

"Good," Chuck said. "You said that you wanted to see what I could do all on my own." He lifted her in his arms, stood up, and placed her on the edge of the bed where he had just been sitting.

"Ah," Sarah moaned once she realized what Chuck had in mind. "My very favorite present. Going for a little pump priming of your own, are we?"

Chuck smiled as he firmly pushed her knees apart and starting kissing his way up the inside of her thigh.

"You can't be the only plumber in the family."

x-x-x-x-x


	35. The New Team Bartowski

_I still don't own Chuck._

_If you enjoyed this or any of the stories on this site, please take a second and send the author a review. It only takes a second – and it really, really makes a difference. That's probably more important than ever now that the series has ended. If you want to keep the Chuck fandom alive and continue to read about these characters, you really need to think about rewarding the people whose hard work make that possible._

**The New Team Bartowski**

x-x-x-x-x

Josh and Joey were already at the airport when Chuck and Sarah arrived. They were more or less in formation, standing at attention on the tarmac just in front of the ramp to the plane. "Remember, you promised to go easy on them," Chuck gently reminded her, clearly within earshot as they walked up. "I think they're probably scared of you enough already."

"Don't worry," Sarah said. "I have this."

She marched right to where Joey was standing and glared at her. "Okay, rookie," she said. "Before we go any farther, let's get some things on the table. Last week my name was Agent Sarah Walker. I assume that you've heard of me."

Joey didn't turn her head to look into Sarah's eyes, she just stared straight ahead like was demanded at the academy. "Yes, ma'am," she replied crisply. "Of course. You're quite famous."

"I also assume that you've received orders that I'm in total charge of this team," Sarah continued with no humor in her voice. "And my last assumption is that this assignment is an opportunity that you're looking forward to."

"Very much so ma'am," Joey replied just as crisply. "Working with a legend like you is a dream come true."

"Understand something," Sarah said as she put her face firmly into Joey's. Since Sarah was a couple of inches taller, it was clearly intimidating. "I'm currently none too happy with you. I really don't have the time or energy right now to break in a rookie agent who blows her cover because she 'feels bad' over an unpleasant assignment. You thought that the academy was tough? Well you ain't seen nothing yet. I didn't get my nickname of 'The Enforcer' by being overly pleasant to be around. Your ass is now mine. You should be prepared for me to constantly rag it 24x7."

Sarah waited for a reaction. Once she was convinced she wasn't getting one, she continued her rant. "I've earned every bit of my reputation as the very hardest of hard asses," she said. "When I'm done with you, that's what you'll be… or a civilian. I'm going to push you like you've never been pushed. You're not going to die on my watch because you weren't prepared for what agents have to face. I have no intention of being reasonable or fair. I'm going to test you and trick you and make your life a living hell. God help you if you ever insult me by giving me less than your full effort or fall even the tiniest bit short of my ridiculous expectations. Do we fully understand each other?"

"Sarah," Chuck said cautiously. "Is this really necessary?"

Sarah turned her head towards him. "I've got this," she said firmly. She turned back to Joey. "Do we understand each other, rookie?"

"Yes, ma'am," Joey replied. "We understand each other clearly. I'm looking forward to it, ma'am."

"We'll see," Sarah barked. She took out her gun, racked it, and handed it to a clearly surprised Joey. "It's time for your first test. We only need one of you." She indicated Josh with a nod of her head. "Shoot him."

Sarah!" Chuck said in alarm. "Please don't make her do this. We don't have to kill him. Beckman said that it was totally our call. He doesn't know anything vital. We can just leave him here."

Sarah didn't turn her head. She just continued to glare at Joey. "Chuck, shut the fuck up!" she said firmly. "I've got this. She wants to be a bad ass CIA Agent? Doing horrible things comes with the territory. We're not going to a topless beach this time. Or drinking shots of tequila. She wants us to trust her with our lives? We need to know that she'll do the hard thing, other than showing her tits when it's required." Sarah paused for a second. "Well?" she asked. "You have your order. What are you waiting for?"

Joey turned to face Sarah. "I don't want to do this, ma'am," she said.

"No shit," Sarah replied. "Maybe you should have thought about that before you set me up to be wrestled to the ground, cuffed, stripped naked, felt up, and almost gang raped in front of my husband. You're getting off easy. Unlike your ex-partner here, I'm letting you live. Agent Whatever-the-fuck-your-last-name-is, you do understand that I'm issuing you a direct order, right? If you don't obey it, your CIA career is over."

Joey's shoulders visibly slumped. "Yes, ma'am," she said sadly. "I understand. I'm afraid that I still can't do it, ma'am."

Sarah angrily snatched the gun out of her hand and handed it to Josh. "Well, she can't say that I didn't give her the first chance. Shoot her, save your career, and get on the plane. Right now. We don't have any time to waste."

Josh didn't hesitate. He un-cocked the gun and handed it back to Sarah. "No, ma'am," he said softly but firmly.

Whatever reaction they were expecting from Sarah, a smile certainly wasn't it. She turned to Chuck. "Okay," she said with a faux sigh. "So now I suppose that I'm going to have to listen to you reminding me that you were right for the whole flight."

Chuck grinned back. "More than just the flight," he said. "I'm guessing this I-told-you-so is good for at least a week. Besides, I think that you're actually starting to enjoy losing these bets with me. Thank goodness the plane has a bedroom. I'm thinking that what you're going to be doing to pay me off is maybe one area where she doesn't need your vast experience to teach her anything." He turned his grin towards Joey. "Of course that's just a guess."

Sarah didn't respond to his mini teasing taunt. She just picked up her bag. "I'm going inside to fire up the Comm. Center," she said. "We'll brief the new team as soon as we're in the air." She turned her smile towards Joey. "See you on board."

As soon as Sarah walked up the ramp and into the plane, Chuck turned to a clearly stunned and confused Josh and Joey who were still standing at attention. "Welcome to Team Bartowski," he said.

Josh was the first to recover his wits enough to ask the question both were thinking. "Excuse me, sir," he said. "What just happened here?"

"You passed our test," Chuck replied with a grin. "On our team, following orders is not the top priority. Our team is a family. We expect your loyalty to your family comes before the corrupt CIA and its stupid orders. You'll get our loyalty in return. By the way, don't ever call me sir. Chuck and Sarah works far better."

"Thank, God," Joey sighed. "I was beginning to wonder what in the hell I was getting myself into here. That was a pretty dangerous game Sarah was playing. What would you have done if I had pulled the trigger?"

"We'd have left you standing here," Chuck said. "You would have failed the test. There aren't any rounds in the gun. If the gun had clicked you would have lost the chance to be mentored by the very best field agent in the world. Your partner would also have found out a very tough lesson about where he stands with you. Fortunately, he just found out a very uplifting lesson about where he stands with you. You just found out the same lesson about him. Joey, I get that you're trained to not have personal emotions, to push them down and ignore them. That doesn't work. All it does is messes up your head. On our team it's exactly the opposite. We ask you to admit that you have emotions and factor that into your decision making. Joey, don't try and deny that it feels good to know for sure that someone truly loves you enough to make a huge sacrifice for you, that now you know with zero doubt that he has your back."

Joey reached out her hand and grabbed Josh's affectionately. "I won't try and deny it," she said. "I already knew, but it still feels great."

"Good," Chuck said. "Hopefully someday soon we'll have that same level of trust between us. We'll work on that together. You'll learn quickly that I'm not a fan of what the CIA Academy does to people. But maybe there's some hope for you two yet. We're not going to force you into anything. This is unlike anything you've been trained for. So if you come with us, it'll be of your own free will. But if you want to be part of our team, we'd better get on board. A lot of Sarah's drill sergeant routine here this morning was for show, a part of the test."

"But I still wouldn't go out of my way to piss her off."

x-x-x-x-x

Casey was driving down the Florida Turnpike on his way to Miami. He wasn't in a particularly good mood, even by Casey standards.

He had lived his life dedicated to greater good. Not only that, he was a product of the cold war. So that Russian bastard, Alexi Volkoff was the very symbol of what was wrong with the world. He would gladly sacrifice his life to bring him down. A big part of him was excited with the prospect of getting a real crack at him.

On the other hand, he also recognized that each person had the right to make that decision for themselves, for whatever reasons they deemed appropriate. Chuck and especially Sarah had fought the good fight for years. They had served with honor and had given everything they had. In fact, they had done more in this battle than most people put together. If they wanted to retire undefeated, ride off into the sunset, and spend their days making dozens of little Intersects, well that was completely their call. And even if he could appreciate the position that Beckman currently was in, it simply wasn't right to coerce them into this mission. The fact that he cared for them had little to do with it.

Then there was Laura. Okay, yes, he liked her. Okay, he more than liked her. Even if he was inclined to deny that, and he wasn't, Chuck would never allow him to get away with it anyway. But in this instance, just like Chuck and Sarah, his lady feelings for Laura had little to do with his outrage. He was a soldier, as was Beckman, as were they all. And the first rule of being a soldier is that no man, or woman in this case, was ever, ever, fucking ever left behind. Putting her life at risk and using her unwittingly as bait in some stupid test was simply outside of the bond that a soldier could expect from her fellow soldiers, much less her commanding officer.

There was one thing for sure. After this was over, General Beckman could expect a very pissed off Major standing in her office. And if anything happened to Laura, it would be a very pissed off ex-Major.

x-x-x-x-x

Sarah sat on the plane watching as Chuck was sitting at the desk pouring over the computer setting up the details for the upcoming mission. They had already briefed the team on the plan of attack. The sparkle in his eyes was simply adorable. It was clearly where he was most comfortable, in front of a computer. And wow was he ever cute. Sarah actually had to force herself not to do anything stupid, like make any moon eyes at him and break his concentration.

So it was probably for the best that Joey walked up and forced her attention away from her oh so cute husband. "Excuse me, ma'am," she said. "Could I have a word?"

Sarah indicated the seat next to her with a flip of her head. "Have a seat," she replied. As soon as Joey was comfortably seated, Sarah turned towards her. "What's on your mind?"

"A couple of things, actually, ma'am," Joey said. "First off, you sort of asked what my last name was earlier. It's Lopez, Agent Josephine Lopez, ma'am. I'd really be appreciative if you never call me Josephine."

"I know your name," Sarah said with a slight smile. "Thanks to my husband, I was able to come up to speed on your files last night. You both have some very nice test scores. We'll have to work on your shooting skills a bit. Once we get back to Castle, we'll have Casey work with you. He's the best shot I've ever heard of."

"Thank you, ma'am," Joey said.

Sarah's smile turned a little broader. "Okay, Joey," she said. "You can stop with the ma'am stuff. Down on the tarmac was just for show. I'm not upset with you because you followed some orders that I didn't particularly like. I've been there. You don't have to be afraid of me. Make no mistake, I do have very high expectations of you. Going forward I'm not going to be bashful about pointing out when I think you could have done something better. But that's also how I treat Chuck when we're in the field. You're no longer in the Academy. I'm not going to rag your ass or make you do pushups as punishment. There is no need to walk on egg shells around me. I do reserve the right to call you Josephine now and again when I'm teasing you. So maybe you should prepare yourself for that. Now why don't you take a deep breath and say what it is that you really came over here to say without worrying that I'm going to take your head off?"

Joey breathed a big sigh of relief. "Okay," she said. "Thank you. It's just that, well, our plan… it seems a little…"

"Reckless?" Sarah finished her thought with a grin. "Foolish maybe?"

Joey returned her grin. "I was going to say aggressive," she said. "Selling a drug lord his own coke?"

Sarah laughed. "Welcome to Team Bartowski," she said through her laugh. "Yes, I agree with you. I wince every single time Chuck tells me one of his plans, including this one. I think to myself that we're doomed, that it can't possibly work. And what I've learned over the past year is that they always do. All I can tell you is to have a little blind faith, handle the details of your assignment professionally, and let Chuck handle the planning."

"He's never let me down."

x-x-x-x-x

Laura was lying on a towel on the front deck soaking up some of the bright mid-afternoon sun. She was always happy when she was proven right. And there were some definite good things about her performance on that deck this morning. He had clearly forgiven her. In fact, he was just as clearly now looking at her totally differently.

Had one relatively minor sex act really caused him to fall in love with his fuck toy? It was hard to believe. Okay, if she did say so herself, it was the very best performance of a long and distinguished career. She had him on the very edge for what seemed like hours. And when she did finally allow him to finish, his whole body shook in a massive climax for what seemed like minutes. But if that one thing made such a huge difference, then she should have done it weeks ago. Maybe Casey didn't owe her one after all. Maybe she actually was the one now in debt. He'd like that.

After Rock recovered a little, it was like someone had turned on the light switch on their relationship. Before he left, he thanked her for the wonderful effort. He actually apologized for getting angry with her. There was one major common characteristic of men like Rock. They didn't have much in the way of conscience… and they certainly didn't ever apologize for anything.

Rock had been gone for about an hour before he came back out of the cabin and sat on the chair next to her. "We're heading back to base," he said.

Laura sat up and looked at him. Indeed, the ship was now moving at what she guessed was more or less full speed. But there was something odd in the tone of his voice. "Is there something wrong?" she asked.

"Not really," he said with a sigh. "Look, could you please let me know when you want to sunbath out here? I'll make sure that you get some privacy."

Laura was stunned. For one thing, she was naked because he had just insisted that she give the men a show. Even more surprising was that he asked. He even said please. Men like Rock didn't ask, they commanded. So Laura immediately wrapped the towel around her. "I'm sorry," she said. "If I've been insensitive. I didn't mean…"

Rock reached out and grabbed her hand affectionately. "Don't be sorry," he said softly. "You didn't do anything wrong. I… I… I just don't want those men looking at my girl like that. Laura, you're just so beautiful. Don't worry. I made sure that no one is looking now. No one except me, that is."

Laura was wrong just a second ago. Now she was stunned. My girl? She could count on one hand the times he had used her first name. So she allowed the towel to slowly slide to the deck and assumed the model's pose. "Aren't you sweet?" she said with a grin. "I love it when you look at me. It's a huge turn on."

Rock lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it gently. "For me too," he said.

Wow. Talk about a change in demeanor. He was almost bashful. Maybe it was time to test what this change meant to her mission. He never wanted to talk about business with her. "Why are we going back?" she asked.

"We have a chance to buy a big shipment that's already through customs," he said. "Maybe you could come with me this time. You've always wanted to be more involved."

Rock took her hand and led her into their cabin. It was actually impressive that he was ready for more sex so soon after the session she had just given him. But that was her Rock. If that sounded endearing in any way, well it wasn't. This was still a cruel, bloodthirsty drug runner. She still looked just as forward to the minute when she could put a bullet between his fucking eyes. But it was now clear. The moron had just fallen in love. Finally, at long last, Laura's mission had gotten easier. Well, easier in the major way anyway. She was now in charge. Men were foolish when they were in love. The only down side was that now she would have to participate in foreplay. She could definitely already feel his tongue seeking hers. Kissing was the worst part of having sex with a mark. You had to actively participate. In a lot of ways it was easier when you could just lie there and let him fuck you.

The foreplay thing was a definite first in their relationship. He had actually moved down her neck and was teasing her breast with his tongue. Then he topped even that. He began to kiss his way down her body until he was clearly paying her back for her earlier performance on the deck. The real surprise was that he wasn't half bad, a little rougher than Casey maybe, but not half bad. She could actually already feel the fire building. If she allowed herself, this could get not totally unpleasant. And since he clearly expected a loud orgasm from her, why risk disappointing him by attempting to fake one? One thought filled her brain, well actually two. First was not to moan Casey's name. That would be stupid. But she also now couldn't wait to tease Chuck about this. She could get his face redder than a stop sign.

Hopefully in front of Sarah.

x-x-x-x-x

Joan was in that spot that was half way between being asleep and being awake. Well, that maybe wasn't true. She was mostly awake. But it felt so good snuggling with her guy that maybe she could just stay still and enjoy it for a while.

At least they had made enough progress on the governor, that's what Steven was calling it anyway, to be confident that it was going to work. They still had some double and triple checking to do. After all, this was complicated circuitry. And they couldn't afford a glitch. Lives were at stake. In typical Steven fashion, he built it to look like a wristwatch.

Joan was actually feeling pretty good about herself, and life in general. Not only was she in love for the first time, she was actually the one who solved the last major technical problem with the governor design. That earned her a kiss that was so intense that it made her tingle to the very tips of her toes. It was amazing that one single kiss could make her so giddy. Finally she couldn't bear to be so happy in silence, so she opened her eyes. "How long have you been awake?" she asked.

Steven smiled at her. "Not long," he said.

Joan asked the question that honestly hadn't ever been very far from the surface for the past few days. "Wanna fool around?"

Steven's smile became a grin. "Was that a trick question, Doctor Cole?" he asked. "Yes, I most certainly do." Then he got decidedly more serious. "But first I have to tell you something." He waited until he was sure that he had her full attention. "There is a little more to my story with Mary than what I've told you."

Joan had heard the story of the cold CIA Agent falling in love with her asset. It started off fairly sweet, if you could overlook the simply horrible ending.

"You see," Steven continued, "when we met, we were both pretty deep in the life. It was pretty exciting, especially for her. Then when the kids came along, we decided that maybe it was time to settle down a little. The fact is that I became a different person. I don't think that Mary ever adjusted very well to life in the suburbs. She needed the excitement of always living on the edge. Maybe that was part of the reason..."

Joan was honestly getting a tad annoyed. Didn't he get it yet? Okay, yes, walking in on your wife fucking another man in your bed was a tough deal. It was bound to mess you up. But didn't he see that she honestly loved him? That she would never, ever do anything to hurt him? "Okay," she said cautiously. "I think that we've talked about this already. I'm not Mary."

"I know," Steven said. "That's not what I'm trying to say. I have some baggage from my old life, stuff that you deserve to know if we are going to be married. I wasn't really Steven Bartowski back then."

That turned Joan's mood around on the spot. Wasn't that sweet? "Okay," she said, trying her best to suppress the grin that seemed permanently affixed to her face. "If you weren't Steven Bartowski, who were you?"

Steven reached down to give her a short peck.

"My name was Orion."

x-x-x-x-x


	36. Daddy

_I still don't own Chuck._

_If you enjoyed this or any of the stories on this site, please take a second and send the author a review. It only takes a second – and it really, really makes a difference. That's probably more important than ever now that the series has ended. If you want to keep the Chuck fandom alive and continue to read about these characters, you really need to think about rewarding the people whose hard work make that possible._

**Daddy**

x-x-x-x-x

Joey looped her arm through Chuck's as they walked to the restaurant. "I'm surprised that Sarah let you take this assignment," he said with a grin. "She must have really wanted to see Casey back in action."

"Trust me on this one," Joey said as she matched his grin. "Sarah and I have had this discussion. She really doesn't want to play this half naked sex toy role in front of you. She is afraid that it would be emotionally hard for both of you. And I got the full unedited description of what she was going to do to me if you came back with so much as a single scratch. It was… well, rather vivid."

"She's pretty protective," Chuck said. "You know your role, right? Any questions?"

"Drug lord fuck toy?" Joey said in a sarcastic teasing tone. "Arm candy to the scum of the earth? Trust me on this one too. It was fully covered at the Academy. You are to speak only when spoken to, spread your legs wide on demand, moan appropriately, smile sweetly before, during, and after any obligatory fucking…, oh and call him daddy at all times. What's to question?" They took a few more steps in silence. "So, Daddy," she continued in the same teasing tone as her grin broadened. "How do you like your obligatory fucking? I'm hoping for lots of foreplay. I'll bet that is something you're good at. But I have to admit, it would be more in character for your role to just get right down to the fucking."

"Please don't," Chuck said with a sigh. "I understand that you're having fun. But Sarah is not kidding one bit. She's very unlikely to see the humor in any of this. And when Sarah is unhappy…"

"I get it," Joey said with no dent in her grin. "When Sarah is unhappy, everyone is unhappy. I think that everyone gets that. But she's not currently here, right? How about we lighten things up a little? You did say my tits were perfect on the beach yesterday didn't you? You sounded genuine to me. Even if it wasn't, it was a smooth enough line to earn you another look, maybe a little more up close and personal this time. And you didn't even get to feel them on the beach. Most of the men that I've worked with would be looking for any lame excuse they could think of to get their hand inside of my bra right about now… well if I was wearing a bra anyway. You get the point I'm trying to make though, right? Even Josh has felt them. Maybe we should fix that, get it out of the way so we can concentrate on the mission."

Joey grabbed Chuck's hand and was in the process of using his surprise to playfully torment him a little more by placing it on her chest when Sarah's voice came crackling in her earpiece, stopping her in her tracks. "Here's the deal, rookie," she said as if she was talking to a small child. "I thought that maybe they might have also fully covered this at the academy. But when you're wearing a wire that means other people can hear you. So that usually infers that you're careful about what you say during those times. Flirting with an incredibly jealous woman's husband might not be the smartest course of action in that situation. Especially given that said woman is a known hothead who can make your life a living hell for as long as… well forever if she chooses. I'm just saying. Maybe you fell asleep in class that day."

Joey paused for a long moment. "Come on, Sarah," she finally said. "I was just teasing. Sometimes I get tense before a mission. I'm trying to get into character. Don't be mad."

"Hey, Sarah," Chuck jumped in, more to change the subject than anything. "You're back early. How did it go?"

Chuck obviously knew Sarah much better than Joey did. So he could plainly hear the smile in her voice when she answered. "It was a piece of cake," she said. "We had total surprise. They never saw it coming. Only five men to guard forty million dollars worth of cocaine? Casey got to work out a whole week's frustration at not being able to shoot anyone. Josh was brilliant. I didn't even have to use the secret weapon."

"Secret weapon?" Joey asked.

Chuck looked at Joey like she had just spouted a third eye. He just pointed at her chest as he shook his head sadly in disbelief.

This time it was Sarah's voice that saved Joey's face from turning red. "That's right, rook," she said playfully. "Trust me on this. Your generation of spies wasn't the first to think of distracting a man by letting him see a glimpse of your tits. It started sometime in the middle ages." Then she turned her voice back towards Chuck. "So now it's actually true. You are a genuine drug lord."

"Congratulations… Daddy."

x-x-x-x-x

Josh sat in the van helplessly laughing listening to Sarah play Joey. He was clearly enjoying himself. "Trust me," he said as soon as he could. "She may be acting the fool but you have her wetting her pants right now."

"I know," Sarah said with her own laugh. "She had it coming."

"Maybe you should lighten up on her a little," Casey said in typical Casey fashion. "She is on a mission. Maybe not getting us all killed is what she should be worrying about."

"I know that too," Sarah said as she keyed her mike. "What is the current situation?" she asked calmly.

Chuck was about to respond, but Joey beat him to it. She correctly assumed that talking about the mission meant that Sarah was letting her off the hook. And she wasn't going to pass that up. "Just like we figured," she said. "He has snipers stationed everyplace you look. He has obviously used this location before. I'm not sure what the situation is inside, but he undoubtedly has men in there too. These drug lord bastards are such an untrusting lot." Then she turned to Chuck. "No offense, Daddy."

Sarah fought back the laugh. Normally she wouldn't find anything funny about the situation with Chuck being in harm's way. It's just that Joey, like Chuck, could always make her laugh. It was just one of those things. But this wasn't the time or place to encourage her. "What would our odds be?" she asked in her best professional voice.

"Approaching zero," Joey replied almost immediately. "If we tried to shoot our way out of there, we might cap a few. But there are too many of them, and they have all the strategic positions. We would definitely get bloody."

"Okay," Sarah sighed. "I guess we figured that didn't we? That means it's on to phase two. We have to change the venue."

"You're up, Daddy."

x-x-x-x-x

Clearly Laura was surprised. How could she possibly not be? She was sitting at the table in the private room fully expecting to be introduced to a sex crazed, scum of the earth drug lord, not at all unlike her Rock. She also fully expected that her services in the bedroom, or maybe even on her knees in the back room of the restaurant, would be part of the deal he was going to try and broker with said scumbag. Rock had already warned her that was quite possibly going to be the case. He made it abundantly clear that she needed to be prepared to do her part to make this guy feel appreciated. Apparently in his mind being in love didn't quite measure up to the opportunity to make a quick deal worth several tens of millions of dollars.

So imagine her reaction when she saw that the scumbag she was expecting was Chuck Bartowski. Not only that, he walked up with his own fuck toy, a beautiful half dressed woman that she had never seen before on his arm. Well, the half dressed thing wasn't really a criticism. Laura was herself actually wearing about the same amount of clothes, maybe even a little less. In fact both of their tops were so shear that they may as well have been lying on the floor for all they were hiding. And 'arm' was also actually sort of an understatement. She was touching much more than his arm. In fact she was pressed so closely into him that it was impressive that they could actually walk without tripping over each other.

That immediately got the wheels spinning in Laura's head. She'd be lying if she tried to say that it hadn't registered how amazing he looked in that 'Miami vice' outfit. If that haircut was Sarah's idea, it was pure genius. Or maybe it was the confident smile. Whichever it was, it was downright sexy. In fact, had this new Chuck Bartowski guy ever approached her in a bar, he would have actually had better than a decent shot at getting her to leave with him. And that was something that certainly wouldn't have been true a week ago. But that kind of thinking was pointless. She knew for sure that Chuck hadn't turned into a drug lord. And she was also pretty sure that he hadn't just dumped Sarah on her honeymoon, found this new half dressed beauty, and randomly stumbled into this restaurant. It had to have something to do with her mission. Maybe they needed her for some reason to do with the Fulcrum Elders. Needless to say her spy instincts had her on full alert.

Rock was by nature something of an intimidator personality wise. Most in this business were, to the extent that they had personalities anyway. So it was natural that he would attempt to seize control of any conversation. He indicated a chair on the opposite side of the table. "Sit," he said curtly.

Joey knew that she had to do something to change the tone for Chuck or this wasn't going to go well. So she did an obvious double take. "He clearly doesn't know who the fuck he's talking to… does he Daddy?" she asked sarcastically. She turned to Rock and took a step towards him. "He doesn't like to be disrespected," she said. "And I don't like whatever he doesn't like."

The three bodyguards in the room, sensing that the boss was being threatened, quickly swooped in. Joey didn't flinch. She used the first man's momentum against him, sending him flying over her hip and rather violently crashing him into the wall. Then she punched the second man. It was a short uppercut type blow but very precise, right under his diaphragm. Again the man's own momentum did most of the damage, leaving him sitting on the floor helplessly gasping for air. She disabled the third in a more traditional way. A kick to the groin had him quickly groaning on the floor in agony.

Chuck smiled at the carnage that his new teammate had caused in about two seconds. Whatever point she was going for had been clearly made. Too bad Sarah wasn't here to see it. "Come on, Joey," he said. "We're trying to conduct some business here. Is that any way to treat our hosts?" Then he turned to Rock with a grin. "I'm sorry. As you can see, she's incredibly protective. Sometimes that gets out of control." He turned back to Joey. "I think that you need to apologize."

Joey put the crestfallen pout on her face. "Okay, Daddy," she said softly. Then she turned to face Rock. "I'm very sorry," she said. "I was rude. I hope that your men will be all right. After all, it can be a blow to a man's ego to be so easily defeated… by a girl."

Rock could only stare at her for a long, long moment. Then he started laughing. "You're right," he said. "I was also rude. I also apologize." Then he turned back to Chuck. "She is something else," he said still laughing. "Where did you find her?"

Chuck pulled the chair that had previously been offered away from the table and sat calmly. "She's quite a handful," he agreed. "She hasn't even warmed up yet. You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

Actually, Joey's antics broke the tension in the room. "I understand that you want to sell me some product," Rock said. "Tell me why you're willing to sell such a valuable shipment so cheaply."

Chuck was amused that these drug runner types never called it what it was, cocaine. "That's simple," he replied. "We came into this opportunity rather unexpectedly. We don't deal in drugs. We don't have any way to distribute them, and no desire to develop one. I was just going to destroy it. But it occurred to my Joey here that maybe we could find someone to take it off our hands and both profit. I'm willing to do that if we can act quickly." He turned to where Joey was still standing and extended his hand. "Please sit down, baby," he said softly. "Relax. I'm not angry with you."

Laura struggled keeping in the laugh at this Joey chick's reaction. This was so clearly an agent playing a role. In fact it was the same 'totally devoted fuck toy' role that she herself had been playing for several months now, hopefully without the actual fucking that she had been subjected to. Sarah most definitely wouldn't take that well. Joey looked like a whipped puppy that had just been petted as she sat next to him. Laura also noted with some level of amusement that this Joey made sure that her chest rubbed against Chuck's arm on the way past. She was teasing him. Whoever this agent was, Laura liked her already.

Naturally, Rock was clueless of any of this subtext. "So," he said. "Where did this product come from? And how did you come to contact me?"

"The short answer of where is that we liberated it from its previous owner," Chuck said with a relaxed smile. "I had to teach him a lesson. I'll spare you the lurid details but nobody fucks with my girl. The merchandise is simply a casual opportunity, a byproduct of an unfortunate situation." He turned to Joey and grabbed her hand. "I'm fairly possessive of her. She's simply too beautiful to allow out of my sight." He glanced at Laura for the first time. "I'm sure that you can relate."

"I can," Rock replied.

"The question of why you," Chuck continued. "My contacts in Brazil, more specifically the Barone family, tell me that you might be interested. They're quite impressed with you as a business partner. They called you an up-and-comer. Given the source, that's quite a compliment."

As much as Laura had previously been fighting the urge to laugh, now she was fighting the urge to scream in frustration. She had just been undercover for months, fucking this scum ball three and sometimes four times a night, all in the hope of getting in a position to maybe find out who was supplying cocaine to him, and coincidentally to the whole East Gulf region. And Chuck Bartowski with one simple flash casually just told her. That fucking Intersect. It just didn't seem fair.

Rock was clearly impressed. "Who is your contact?" he asked. "Do you talk to Jose Barone much? Is he feeling better?"

Chuck didn't flinch at what was so clearly a test. Fortunately the Intersect had studied the file. "Not so much since he was killed last year," he said. Now it was time to turn the tables on this low level operator. So he narrowed his eyebrows. "I was one of his pall bearers. I miss my good friend horribly. Let's stop with the insulting games, shall we? I think we both know how much the Barone family values their privacy."

Rock was obviously suitably impressed and just as obviously taken aback. If this guy was this close to the Barone family, he was definitely not someone to mess with. "I know," he quickly said. "Sir, I apologize. I meant no disrespect."

Chuck glared at him for a long uncomfortable moment. "So," he finally said. "Are we going to do business or not? I just want to get rid of it. It makes me feel uncomfortable holding it. It got my friend Jose killed. Juan tells me that the previous owner paid forty million just before his unfortunate demise. I'll give it to you for half that. That is basically a gift. Otherwise I'm going to take it out into the middle of the Atlantic and make some fish very happy."

"Where is the product now?"

"In a truck," Chuck replied with a short laugh. "I think that's as specific as I want to get until we complete our negotiations. I did bring a sample. Joey tells me that it is the best she's ever had. I'll take her word for it. I don't use the stuff myself. It's her one vice. I do have to say, I admire how wild it makes her in bed."

"I don't use it either," Rock said. "It's an occupational hazard." He turned to Laura. "Maybe you'd like to go to the ladies room and give me your opinion?"

x-x-x-x-x

As Laura and Joey left, Rock conspicuously checked out the sexy view as they walked away. As soon as they were out of sight he turned back to Chuck. "I have a cash flow problem," he said. "I just made a fairly large purchase myself. I'm afraid that used all of my working capital."

Chuck pushed away from the table. "Are we wasting each other's time?" he asked.

Rock considered the situation. Here was an opportunity to save twenty million dollars on his next shipment, not to mention that there was always the implied risk of getting it through customs. Doing a favor for a friend of the Barone family was always a smart thing to do. And there was no question of being able to move all of this coke at many multiples of what it would cost him. The people in New York were always begging for as much of this stuff as he could come up with. He would have to dip into his personal accounts. That wasn't something that he liked to do, but the opportunity was simply too big to pass up. "No," he said. "I'll have to move some money around to come up with a twenty million transfer. It will only take me a day. Would that be okay?"

"I don't know," Chuck said. "I wanted to do this quickly. Let me think about it."

Rock was now getting desperate. "I have an idea," he said. "I really want this merchandise. I appreciate your reaching out to me. I don't want to let you go and maybe get another offer. Why don't you and your Joey spend tonight on our yacht as my guest? In the morning we'll come back to the dock, you can have your truck meet us there with the merchandise, and we'll complete the transaction. I'll make sure that you're treated in a manner that a man of your position deserves."

"I don't know," Chuck said. "I'm a busy man. I really didn't plan on taking a cruise."

"I'll sweeten the pot," Rock said. "Do you consider my Laura attractive?"

"Of course," Chuck replied. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"I'll have her join you two for the night," Rock said. "She is very talented and even more eager to prove her value. I'm sure that she'll work very hard to make sure that you have a wild night. Is your girl the jealous type?"

Chuck couldn't keep in the grin. Wow. That was something that either needed a week's explanation or none at all. He could picture Sarah in the van right now… fighting with Casey and Josh for the mike. "Sometimes," he admitted.

"But I think that she'll be okay with this."

x-x-x-x-x

When Laura led Joey into the rest room, Joey took the wire and earpiece out of her purse and wordlessly handed them to her. "I like your top," she said as soon as Laura had the earpiece in place. "It's very chic."

Sarah, hearing the code word, keyed her mike. "Hey Laura," she said. "I'll bet my voice is probably the last one you thought you'd hear today. I have some good news. Your assignment is over. Agent Lopez here and her Daddy are going to extract you. Unfortunately the bastards have your current position far too fortified to try anything tonight. The plan is to get you isolated where your mark only has his regular protection. He just offered to take Chuck and Joey on his boat tonight as his guests. I'm afraid that's as detailed as I can get right now. You're going to have to assume that you're being monitored at all times. We want to wait until we get the money, we have our reasons. I'll explain later."

Sarah paused for a moment to read the transcript that Casey had just handed her. She stopped his snarky comment with a look. "Oops, it appears that we have a late breaking development," she continued. "Your friend just offered you to Daddy as their entertainment for the evening. I guess that means it's now probable that my husband sees one or both of you naked at some point tonight. Since when you're out at sea you'll be out of range for this equipment, here are some ground rules. I'll live with whatever is really necessary to protect the cover for his safety. I will get revenge for anything that goes over the line. I would also like to point out that he is going to tell me every single detail."

Sarah paused to laugh a little. "Okay," she finally admitted. "I understand that you're dying to tease him with the drug lord plaything act. I'll tolerate a little of that. Try and not torture the poor guy too much with the lights on. He's really uncomfortable with nudity. I know that you're probably worried about Chuck when the fighting starts. Don't be. I can't explain it right now, but he can handle himself. You know me well enough to know if that wasn't true he wouldn't be there. And finally, yes, Casey is here. He says hi. If everything goes according to plan we'll make our move right after the deal tomorrow."

To say that Laura was excited about the end of this assignment, well that was ridiculous understatement. And it only had a little to do with the prospect of spending tomorrow night with Casey. But she'd be lying if she tried to deny the tingle that she could already feel building thinking about it. And tonight was going to be so much fun. She was going to be able to turn Chuck's face so red… and she even had Sarah's permission. What could possibly be better than that? She turned to Joey with a silly grin knowing full well that she couldn't do anything to blow their cover. Sarah was right, who knew if they were being listened to. So she had to be careful about how much to say. She stuck out her hand. "You were most impressive out there," she settled for. "Tell me. Why do you call him Daddy?"

Joey returned her grin. She hadn't heard of Laura Carter before. But reading her file on the plane was an eye opener. She was perhaps a notch below Agent Walker in career accomplishments, but not a huge notch. And she was even more beautiful in person than her picture. That's all she needed, another woman who she would look plain standing next to. Didn't they understand that she had self esteem issues? So she just took her offered hand and shook it professionally.

"What else would I call him?"

x-x-x-x-x


	37. Inadequate

_I still don't own Chuck._

_I was going to write a warning that there is a fairly explicit sex scene in this chapter. Then I realized that the story is rated M. So the scene is actually fairly mild by those standards. Again, this is one of those times that you're going to have to read the whole chapter before you go nuts, lol._

_If you enjoyed this or any of the stories on this site, please take a second and send the author a review. It only takes a second – and it really, really makes a difference. That's probably more important than ever now that the series has ended. If you want to keep the Chuck fandom alive and continue to read about these characters, you really need to think about rewarding the people whose hard work make that possible._

**Inadequate**

x-x-x-x-x

Sarah stood on the dock shading her eyes against the early evening sun. That must have meant that they were heading west, into the area where the Caribbean Sea met the Gulf of Mexico. She watched the yacht steam away until it was only a speck on the horizon. Finally it disappeared totally. She had this awful sinking feeling in her stomach that she couldn't explain. Well of course she could explain part of it. Chuck was in some danger. Not only that, she wasn't going to be there to protect him. But that really wasn't it and she knew it. His plan had worked perfectly so far, just like she told Joey it would. The danger was minimal. This drug running scumbag was actually scared to death of him. You could plainly hear it in his voice. Besides, even if he was in danger, Laura and Joey would make sure that Chuck was safe. They were both as badass as they came.

Okay, so he was going to spend the night in bed with two beautiful women who were both going to take great pleasure in mercilessly teasing him by flaunting their naked bodies in front of him. But even that wasn't it. Chuck would die before he would even consider cheating on her. She had zero fear of it. And yes, both Laura and Joey had the typical agent's 'any' view of sex… any time, any place, any position, with almost any body. But even they would know that Chuck was off limits. Sarah didn't fear that either.

It wasn't even that this would be the first night they would spend in different beds since… well, since that magical night in her hotel room when they finally got together. Well if you didn't count that night when she made him sleep on the couch. Normally thinking about her life with Chuck, and specifically her sex life with Chuck, would have brought an involuntary smile to her face. And yes, she didn't need a therapist to tell her that she used sex with him so much because she felt inadequate. It was that obvious. Fortunately he didn't seem to mind… about the sex anyway. He was even getting to the point where he could talk about some of her wilder ideas without exploding from embarrassment. And thinking up wild sexual scenarios to make him happy had become her favorite daydream, one that she was going to more and more often. It was her happy place.

Still the feeling of dread wouldn't go away. Sarah was more than comfortable on a mission. In fact, it's where she felt most at home. Her spy instincts were finely honed over the years. She fully trusted them. And they had never failed her, had kept her alive in all of those ridiculous situations where the odds of survival approached zero. What she wasn't sure of was how much she trusted her wife instincts.

Luckily her long time partner was standing there, by far the best partner she had ever known. He would obviously recognize that she was struggling and come to her aid. After all, he knew her pretty well and knew that she needed some comforting. Well, maybe not.

"What has happened to you?" Casey asked in disgust. "Has the great Sarah Walker really fallen this far? Has she really turned into this lovesick little girl who cries because she won't see her boyfriend for a day? It's depressing."

Normally Casey making fun of her would have perked her up and inspired a biting response.

Not this time.

"He's not my boyfriend," she said sadly. "He's my husband. I'm not Sarah Walker. We've had this conversation about a hundred times. My name is Sarah Bartowski."

"I know," Casey said. "But right now we need Sarah Walker. And we need her on top of her game. Today is playtime. Beckman is not fucking around here. After tomorrow things get hard."

Sarah didn't answer his unasked question. "Let's get something to eat and find a place to sleep," she said as she finally turned away from the setting sun. "Tomorrow's going to be a busy day."

Josh stood off to the side and watched their interaction carefully. Casey clearly didn't get it, didn't recognize that she was struggling with something far bigger than being separated from her husband for a night. And that wasn't surprising. In the one day he had known Casey it was clear that emotional support wasn't his strength. He shot the bad guys. There was no criticism involved. He did that well. And honestly Josh had to admit that he didn't know what Sarah's specific problem was yet either. But he knew that it was important.

He also knew that he needed to find out.

x-x-x-x-x

It was pretty clear that Rock was afraid of Chuck. That was an amazing concept. Rock was too stupid to be afraid of almost anybody. It was actually refreshing to see this bag of pure concentrated macho be so unnerved for once.

The first thing that Laura did once they were on the ship and Chuck and Joey were comfortably in their room was to get Rock alone. "What do you want me to do?" she asked.

Rock wouldn't meet her eye. Laura had to actually bite her lip to keep from laughing at his discomfort. "Make him happy," he finally said. "I'm sorry to ask you to do that. But we need him happy."

Laura smiled at him. "Don't be sorry," she said. "You know that I would gladly do anything that you ask me. I've always begged you to involve me more in the business. Thank you for letting me help. I'll fuck his brains out. I'll make him forget his own name. Tell me something. Are we going to double cross him tomorrow? Should I try and distract him somehow?"

Rock's response was immediate. "No way," he said with a sigh. "This guy is far more powerful than you realize. He's connected to the right people. We need him as a friend. He could really help us. Besides, we're getting an incredible deal here. He's doing us a huge favor. I don't want to do anything to change his mind. He needs to be happy."

That was excellent news. It meant that they would have surprise on their side tomorrow when whatever they had specifically planned went down. But Laura also took full note that he was using words like 'we' and 'us'. That was certainly different. It was almost a little sad that the assignment was over. It was just starting to get easy. Not that she felt sorry for Rock in the least. She was having fun seeing him shaken, was eagerly looking forward to putting the bullet between his eyes. And she had already found out what she needed to know. So she decided to have a little fun and twist the knife a little. "You're jealous," she said with a soft smile. "That's cute. There is no need to be jealous. It's just meaningless sex. I'll be back with you tomorrow night."

"I know," Rock said with a long sigh. "It has to be done. That doesn't mean I have to like it."

Laura moved in for the kill. "I've never been with another woman before," she sighed. "I was hoping that my first threesome would have been with you."

Laura had to turn away to keep him from seeing her smirk at his devastated look. _Poor guy. Oh well. He'll be dead soon._

x-x-x-x-x

Chuck was obviously trying to stretch dinner on the front deck for as long as he possibly could. He clearly was reluctant to take Joey and Laura into that cabin for the night. Under other circumstances, Chuck might have called this the best meal of his life. The filet melted in his mouth. But tonight he barely tasted it. For one thing, for any meal to qualify as best of his life, Sarah would have to share it with him. And she was probably eating her normal greasy fast food cheeseburger.

Naturally his teammates recognized that he was uncomfortable and made every effort to make this as easy as possible for him.

Well maybe not. Laura and Joey sat on either side of him. Both were wearing their barely there bikinis. Neither lady was particularly modest under the best of circumstances. But tonight their tops were tied so loosely that they were on the very edge of being irrelevant. Each had a hand softly rubbing the inside of his respective thigh. They were both slowly but surely going higher and higher. The gleam in their eyes clearly said they had planned this beforehand to tease him, knew exactly what each other was doing under that tablecloth, and were enjoying themselves immensely.

After his steak was gone, Joey actually reached over and popped a grape into his mouth with a grin, then another. The symbolism of a beautiful half naked woman feeding him grapes was painfully obvious. "Well, Daddy," she purred. "We've put this off long enough. Maybe we should take this into the bedroom."

As soon as they were in the bedroom, Laura stood off to the side out of view and conspicuously pointed out the camera hidden in the wall that was aimed directly at the bed. Her unspoken message was clear. This was the worst case scenario that they feared in their planning session. They were being watched. It meant they had to stay in character for the entire night.

Joey could instantly tell that Chuck didn't know what to do. In their planning session, talk about this particular scenario was short and awkward. Clearly Chuck didn't want to have a very detailed discussion about the uncomfortable topic in front of Sarah. Joey always knew that his plan of simply turning off the lights and throwing out some fake moans wouldn't work. Whoever was watching would see through that in a second. Standing here only reinforced that feeling. And Sarah had dragged her aside and made it abundantly clear that Chuck didn't have good spy instincts, and that she was expecting her to take whatever actions were necessary to cover for him if things went south in any way.

Well, Joey wasn't sure Sarah was necessarily talking about this situation… but the camera was definitely a turn towards the south. So she took the lead by pushing him on the bed with a wink. Whoever was watching was clearly expecting to witness a kinky ménage a trios. So why fight it? It was time to give them a show… and honestly maybe tease the hell out of a clearly uncomfortable Chuck a little. So she sauntered up to Laura with a clear twinkle in her eye. "It is clearly show time," she said. "Let's unwrap the present that our host gave Daddy." She slowly pulled on the strings of Laura's top until it fell away and to the floor. It would have been just as easy for Joey to untie the strings on her bikini bottom. But instead she looped her thumbs in the waistband and made a big show out of kneeling and slowly easing them down her incredibly long legs.

If Laura was surprised at all by Joey's aggressiveness, she sure didn't show it. And she sure wasn't going to be the only one here wearing only a smile. Joey was clearly expecting her to reciprocate. She even turned to face Chuck so that when her top came off, he would have the same unobstructed view of her tits as he just had of Laura's a moment ago. Laura made Joey's bikini hit the floor in the same manner and just as quickly as hers had.

As soon as Laura had Joey naked, Joey turned to Chuck with a grin. "What's next, Daddy?" she asked as she reached up and cupped one of Laura's breasts, playfully rolling the rock hard nipple between her thumb and forefinger. "Maybe a little girl on girl show for your amusement? She definitely appears to be more than willing. You're calling all the shots tonight."

Chuck didn't answer. He just sat there trying to hide the fact that he was turning several shades of red.

"Okay, Daddy," Joey said as her grin turned a little sinister. "I get it. You're putting me in charge again. I like that. Maybe we'll save the show to prime the pump for round two." She turned to Laura and pretended to flip an imaginary coin. "Call it in the air," she said with a grin. "Heads or tails?"

Laura really wasn't sure what Joey was up to, but she was more than willing to allow her to take the lead. "Heads," she said with her own grin.

"You got it," Joey said. She stepped over to where Chuck was still sitting on the bed and dropped to her knees. "I guess that means I have tails."

Suddenly Laura understood what she was getting at. She had called heads. So she sat next to Chuck, put her hands behind his head, and pulled his lips to hers. Chuck was clearly surprised and just as clearly not very comfortable, but he really couldn't fight too much. For one thing, he was paralyzed. He couldn't blow their cover with that camera pointed directly at him. For another, he was pretty much overpowered. Laura quickly had both of his hands occupied, her fingers firmly intertwined with his, so he couldn't do much physically to stop what Joey was doing. He also found that his mouth was covered by hers so he couldn't issue any verbal protest. So Joey really didn't have all that much trouble sliding off his swim suit. Once it was off she playfully held it up for his inspection, twirling it on her index finger for a bit before tossing it across the room. It was now official. Chuck joined the two ladies being naked.

Chuck clearly wasn't totally comfortable how this all was playing out, but whatever will to resist that was left was also clearly fading fast. So he relaxed and allowed the inevitable to happen. Joey took advantage to gently but firmly push his knees apart and get busy. After only a few seconds of that action it didn't require all that much coaxing to get him to open his mouth and give Laura the full access she was seeking. She guided one of his hands to her breast and resumed the long kiss. It didn't take long for the hand that she was holding to her breast to start to gently massage it all on its own. So she returned her hand behind his head and pulled him in for another kiss. "That feels so good, Daddy," she moaned. "You have a nice touch."

Laura glanced down to where Joey was currently bobbing her head in a slow, soft rhythm. Who was he kidding here, he was hard as… well, Rock. She lowered her voice so that only he could hear. "Don't worry about anything," she said as soothingly as she could. "This is for the cover. It's what Sarah would want you to do. Do you really think that she hasn't done this about a thousand times? No man on earth could withstand what Joey is doing to you and not react. It's not a betrayal to be aroused. She'll understand."

Laura paused for a moment to allow him to fully concentrate on Joey doing her magic. She was frankly surprised at how well endowed he was. In fact she found that she was honestly a little mesmerized by the erotic sight of him sliding in and back out of her mouth. She didn't hardly ever get to witness this act from quite this perspective. "I know that Sarah has tried to not rub your face in this," she finally whispered into his ear. "But she hasn't been being totally honest with you. She's afraid, Chuck. Afraid of how you'll react if you really knew how wild she gets on missions. All spies do, sweetie. It's what we're taught, what we're made to practice over and over in training, it's what is required of us. You can't allow the mark to think that you're not into it. That would be fatal. So you make yourself get into it. Besides a lot of the time it's the only release we get for months at a time. We're only human too, Chuck. There is only so much you can do for yourself. A vibrator is no substitute for a real man."

Laura paused for a long moment deciding how much to say. Finally she decided to tell him. "She made me swear not to tell you," she whispered. "But Sarah and I did almost this exact tag team thing in Peter West's office last week, well except that I was where Joey is for the first round. But Sarah got her turn. She was moaning pretty hot and heavy when he was fucking her on top of his desk. Why do you think that she was arguing so hard for you to let her go to his room that night? So you have nothing to feel guilty about. Just let go. This is actually a good thing for you and Sarah. Now you both know how exciting it can be. There's no longer any need to pretend with each other. That's how I am with Seth. Here is a fact of life, Chuck. When you are on missions she is going to fuck other men. And you're going to fuck other women. Thinking anything else is pure fantasy. Not only is it fantasy, it eventually gets you killed. So if that's true on missions, why not all the time? If you're going to be married to a spy, you either need to learn to embrace it or allow it to destroy you."

"Oh God," was Chuck's only answer as he allowed Laura to resume the second base necking, this time with much more intensity.

"I want you to admit something to me," Laura said between kisses, still so that only Chuck could hear. "It feels kinda exciting to be forced into being wild, doesn't it? Fucking two girls at once is something that you would never do on your own, even before you met Sarah. We both know that. Wild sex with no guilt is one of the few pleasures a spy gets on a mission. Why do you think that Sarah is always trying to get you to do wild things with her? Why do you think that she asked you to ravage her yesterday? She misses the missions, Chuck. She misses the excitement of having no choice."

Laura smiled as she realized that Chuck had unconditionally surrendered and was now more than actively participating. In fact his hand had drifted from her chest to between her legs. So she shifted her hips to give him a better angle, opened her knees a little, and spent a long moment just enjoying what his finger was doing to her. "You're very good at that," she said. "I can tell that you're getting close. Don't try and fight it, we have all night. I think that you can feel that you're getting me pretty close too. This is the first time that I've been forced to fuck someone that I actually like. I'd even say love, but we both know that I'm not allowed to love. So this is all pretty intense for me too. In a few minutes Joey and I will put on our little show for the camera and to help you recover. I don't know about her, but fucking another girl is something that I would never do on my own. But I have to admit, being forced to do it is something of a turn on."

Laura paused for a moment to kiss him as her own breath quickened noticeably. It was an odd kiss given the circumstance, far more loving than lusting. "For round two I'll take Joey's spot," she finally whispered. "That's something I've been imagining doing for you every since we first met in your room in Vegas that night. Joey looks like she is doing a reasonable job. Clearly it's not her first time. Her enthusiasm counts for a lot. But I'll bet you'll say that I'm better, even better than Sarah. We'll find out soon enough. You do realize how competitive we are. There aren't many things that I'm better at. But blowjobs are my specialty. I was good at it before I even became a spy. But the things I learned at the academy… wow. Everyone says so. It drives Sarah a little crazy every time she looses to me. If you're smart, that's something that you'll now be able to use against her whenever you're in the mood for her to hit her knees. Bryce was never smart."

Laura pulled back a little to evilly grin at him. "You're welcome," she said. "You can maybe pay me back by returning the favor and replacing your finger with your tongue later tonight. Sarah says that is something you're very, very, very good at. I've been looking so forward to finding out for myself ever since she told me that. That's something that spies don't get very often. Marks usually don't think in those terms. Given the current plan, I'll probably have to judge later tonight who is best too. I don't know Joey's history… but I'm betting on you. Please don't disappoint me."

Laura finally stopped talking as the first wave of climax hit her. It was just as well. Chuck had probably stopped registering what she was saying anyway.

"Oh God," he moaned as he could feel the pressure of his own orgasm building. He took his free hand and placed it on the top of Joey's head. She immediately got the hint and went even deeper waiting for her reward.

"Oh… God."

"Oh God!" Sarah sat up with a start in the dark. It took a long moment for her to realize where she was, in the motel suite where they were spending the night. It was one of those dreams, the ones that seemed so real. It took an even longer moment to convince herself that it wasn't.

Josh was quickly softly knocking on the door. Casey was in the other bedroom. That meant that Josh drew the short straw and was camped out on the living room couch. "Are you okay?" he asked. "I heard you crying."

Sarah took a long moment to catch her breath and still her shaking hands. "I'm fine," she finally said. "Just a bad dream. I'm sorry that I woke you."

Josh opened the door a bit. He totally understood about an agent's bad dreams. Joey had them fairly regularly. "Don't be silly," he said. "Do you want to talk?"

If Josh knew Sarah at all he would have known that the last thing that she wanted at this point was to talk, especially to a man. She was embarrassed. Her bed clothes were wringing wet. She was instantly ashamed that even in a dream she would subconsciously question Chuck's loyalty to her. But Josh's question was apparently rhetorical because he was already sitting on the edge of the bed. "You seemed troubled earlier," he said. "If this is about Chuck, I have to tell you. I've talked to him. The man makes no bones about it. It comes though in his every thought, every expression on his face. He honestly worships you."

Sarah had zero doubt about that. It was so clearly true. But there still wasn't anything that she needed to hear more at this point. "I know that he does," she said. "But he's not a spy, doesn't think like one. He's had to put up with a ton of crap that no husband should ever have to put up with. And for the record, he doesn't worship me half as much as I worship him."

"Is that why you feel inadequate?" he asked gently.

Wow. Talk about a bull's eye. Sarah was stunned into silence for a long, long moment at how he had just nailed her. _Was it that obvious? It must be._ She could feel the tears filling her eyes. "He thinks I'm inadequate?" she asked trying hard to keep her voice from breaking. It was her worst fear, the one she kept pushed down deep.

Fortunately Josh quickly burst that fear like a balloon. "God no," he said with a laugh. "If you understood how intensely he feels about you… Sarah, I didn't say that Chuck thinks that you're inadequate. I said that you think that you're inadequate. And that's frankly silly."

"I don't think I'm inadequate," Sarah finally said. "I'm sure that I am."

"The record stands corrected," Josh said with a smile. "It's still pretty silly. I wouldn't worry too much about Chuck. When you're in love like he is, you don't see issues as crap. And every single human has issues, Sarah. He'd love to help you through your issues. In fact you couldn't possibly give Chuck Bartowski a better present than to open yourself up to him and let him see your demons up close and personal. You're not fooling anybody. He knows that they are there."

Sarah paused for a long moment. "Some of my demons are pretty ugly," she finally said, so softly that he had to strain to hear her.

"The uglier, the better," Josh said. "Chuck loves you, Sarah. He would kill for the chance to help you. You want him to feel secure? You want him to trust you? Prove to him that you worship him. Do the thing that he knows is the hardest for you. Open up to him, allow him to see you at your core, and let him help you. He's pretty amazing. He can slay those demons for you if you would only let him. Don't allow your fear to get between you."

Josh sat there and pretended to not notice Sarah trying to wipe the tears from her eyes for a long, long, long moment as she considered the truth in his words. It was time to let her off the hook a little. "One more thing," he said. "Joey is just teasing. You know that right? That's just her way. She is a tease at heart. She teases me mercilessly. But she is also a nice, good person. At one point she was maybe making it a game to see how far she could get with him. But now that she knows you she would never, ever actually touch him. She really admires you, sees you as larger than life. You're her hero, who she wants to be like when she grows up. It killed her to have to set you up like we did. She sobbed all night thinking about him hitting you while you were helpless. I think that my shoulder is still a little wet. She filed a formal complaint against him at the agency. She is also reasonably insecure herself. She actually doesn't think that she's pretty. A word from her hero would go a long way."

That actually turned Sarah's mood around a little and got a smile. "You really love her," she said. "Don't you? That's pretty obvious. Is there any chance that you would ever… I'm sorry. I don't know much about being… um…"

"Gay?" Josh finished her thought.

"I'm sorry for the way that might have sounded," Sarah said. "It was a stupid question. I'm seriously not trying to be offensive."

"You're not being offensive at all," Josh said with the smile in his voice plain. "It was an honest question. I think of Joey as sort of like my kid sister. I'd say the odds of her and I ever becoming a couple are about the same as you and Casey…"

"Eww," Sarah interrupted with a giggle. "You had to go there? Now that was offensive."

That got them both laughing. "I'm sorry," he said.

"I'll let it slide this time," Sarah said, still laughing. "You'd better get some sleep. We have a big day tomorrow. Mess up even a little bit and I'll show you offensive."

"Yes, ma'am," he said as he got up to leave.

"Josh," Sarah called as he got to the door. "Thank you. You really helped me tonight."

"Anytime."

"I'll talk to her," Sarah said. "She has nothing to feel insecure about."

"I know," Josh said. "Just like you don't. And yet you both do. You're a lot alike. Thank you for talking to her."

Sarah rolled over to go back to sleep. She was right. Josh had just helped her, more than he realized. Now she knew exactly what had been bothering her all night.

It was something that she simply had to fix.

x-x-x-x-x

Chuck sat on the front desk, enjoying his freshly squeezed orange juice, first cup of coffee, and the mid morning sun and breeze. Someone had just slid a plate with a steaming hot omelet in front of him. This having a private cook was something that he maybe could get used to. He had to smile as he looked over at his new 'harem.' For all of their bluster about teasing him with their nudity, nothing of the sort actually happened. They were most respectful, almost bashful.

After dinner last night, Laura found some music and quite a lot of tequila. They drank and danced on the deck until well after two. Since there was something about spies and dancing, both ladies were having the time of their lives. In fact if Sarah was going to be jealous of anything about the night, it would be the dancing. Chuck danced with each lady every once in a while. But most of the time they entertained themselves and allowed Chuck to sit and enjoy the wonderful cooler night air and the untold majesty of a billion stars in the sky. Joey and Laura had clearly become friends already, at least their fuck toy personas had anyway. They spent most of the night wildly dancing and giggling about one silly thing or another. Joey's sense of humor obviously was a big hit with Laura. Chuck had never seen her laugh that hard. If anyone was watching it was perfect for the cover. It remained to be seen if that translated into the actual spies becoming as close, but it was hopeful.

Okay, they all three had slept in the same bed last night. There was no way around that. And it was something that Sarah would surely want to hear every single detail about. But all three were fairly modestly clothed. And the girls were so well behaved. Chuck couldn't remember so much as an accidental brush against his leg. He made a mental note to get Sarah to thank them. Both had been simply perfect. He actually slept far better than he feared in this situation.

They hadn't seen Rock, or actually any of his men, since before dinner. But he finally joined them on the deck. "I hope your night was satisfactory," he said.

"It was a perfect night," Chuck said as he motioned for Rock to sit. Well, that wasn't really true. Any night without Sarah could never be called perfect. "Laura was amazing. You're very lucky. As soon as our transaction is complete, I'll call Juan Barone and make sure that he knows what a good host you've been. I assume that our deal is still on target."

Rock was clearly moved. "Thank you, my friend," he said. "That would help me a great deal. I have so much competition. Yes, I made the twenty million dollar transfer just a few minutes ago. By the time we get to dock, within the hour, you should be able to verify it."

"I'll have the truck meet us there," Chuck said. "I just have to tell you. I love your ship. I frankly didn't think I would enjoy it so much. And my people would love it, Joey especially. Wouldn't you, baby?"

Joey had no idea what Chuck was up to. So she just played along. "Of course, Daddy," she said shyly. "It's amazing."

"I love to make her happy," Chuck said as he grabbed her hand playfully. "I'll have to look into what it would take to buy one."

"I'm actually going to buy a bigger one," Rock said. "My business is growing."

"Would you consider selling this to me?" Chuck asked. "I would consider it a huge favor. I'm a busy man. I really don't have time to shop for a boat. I'd gladly pay the market price."

"My friend," Rock said. "It would be an honor to be able to do you a favor. Consider it done. I'll get the title out of the safe and sign it over right now. Use it for a few weeks, have it appraised, and then pay me whatever you think its worth. You'll be more than fair."

As soon as Rock left, Joey turned to Chuck with a grin. "What are you doing?" she asked. "This wasn't part of the plan."

"I'm calling an audible," Chuck replied with his own grin. "I'm buying my wife a present. I feel bad that she got cheated out of a special night. She would absolutely love this. She would have loved last night. And it will make this morning easier, getting all of his men off the ship. Besides… after today, he's not going to need it any more." He turned to face Laura.

"Right?"

x-x-x-x-x

_A/N: I probably shouldn't have to say this. It seems obvious to me. But I know that some of you get freaked out a little thinking about Sarah and sex with other men. So I'd like to point out that the things that Laura told Chuck in Sarah's dream didn't really happen. Sarah didn't have sex with Peter West, never enjoyed sex with a mark, always tried to get out of it. That was Sarah's subconscious coming out in her dream and reminding her that deep down she still fears Chuck worrying about those things._

_There was a lot of conversation earlier in the story that Sarah was asking too much of Chuck. That she didn't totally get what she was putting him through with Seth and Peter West._

_She does as of now._

_I always promised that this would be the story of Sarah's journey from mostly Chuck's bodyguard to mostly Chuck's wife. The way that I write Sarah is that she's flawed. She has issues, needs to grow in some areas. But, to me, that is also what makes her so attractive. If she didn't make mistakes, didn't grow, she would be boring._

_She is about to take a big step in that journey._

x-x-x-x-x


	38. The Enforcer

_I still don't own Chuck._

_I wasn't going to include Carina in this story. I really wasn't. But my friend Lucky47 put it into my head. So you can either blame her or thank her depending on your point of view. Either way, let her know that we're anxiously waiting for the next installment of Family Matters. I've seen the draft and it's going to be good._

_If you enjoyed this or any of the stories on this site, please take a second and send the author a review. It only takes a second – and it really, really makes a difference. That's probably more important than ever now that the series has ended. If you want to keep the Chuck fandom alive and continue to read about these characters, you really need to think about rewarding the people whose hard work make that possible._

**The Enforcer**

x-x-x-x-x

Sarah could hear the muffled conversation out in the living room. And for a while she tried to ignore it. It was far too early to get up. But then she heard that voice, that rather distinctive voice.

"Hey, blondie," Carina said as Sarah came bursting through the door. "I was just getting acquainted with my new friend Josh here. Do all of your missions really have to go down so early in the fucking morning?" She stepped up, ostensibly to give Sarah a hug, but also to whisper in her ear. "Is there some reason why you're making him sleep on the couch? It looks like you have a nice big bed in there… big enough for two. He's pretty yummy."

Sarah had to bite her lip to keep from laughing. She made a mental note to get Josh away for a moment and warn him. Carina was nothing if not predictable. Watching her try to work him into getting naked with her might be a little fun. She began to hold up her left hand to rub her ring in Carina's face, but she sadly remembered that they had taken off their wedding rings until this mission was over. "I'm married," she said.

"I know," Carina groaned. "But I still had some hope that you weren't taking it all that seriously. You were married once before. How'd that work out for you?"

"Chuck is different," Sarah insisted. "Night and day. And I'm taking it totally seriously. He is too."

"Come on, Sarah," Carina groaned. "We've had this conversation about a million times. Men are all alike. Okay so Chuckles is maybe a bit more head over heels than the average guy. But still, he's a man. I could have him in bed any time I wanted."

"No way," Sarah said with a laugh. "Especially not you. He's scared to death of you."

"Wanna bet?"

Sarah's first reaction was to tell Carina to go to hell. But she felt the sudden need to stick up for him. "You don't bet something like that," she said. "He's my husband, not a possession to bet."

"Chicken?" Carina asked with a smirk. "I don't blame you. That's a pretty big bubble you have going. I understand that you don't want to see it burst. Two days. If I don't have him willingly naked, I'll tell you the real story of what happened in Morocco."

That had Sarah's interest suddenly piqued. Carina wasn't bashful at all about her sexual exploits. She would love to rub in Sarah's face that she had fucked Bryce while they were together. And while Sarah had always assumed that probably happened, it couldn't be the whole story. But she would never talk about Morocco, always changed the subject immediately. Whatever happened there, it must have been pretty over the top to get her face so red at the mere mention of it. "You have no chance," she said firmly. "I have zero doubt. I just don't want to put him through that, it would make him uncomfortable. Like I said, you scare him. Not in the badass spy way. In the maybe catching a horrible disease that makes his man parts fall off way."

"Very funny," Carina said. "Here's what you don't seem to realize. I'm going to try if we bet or not. You know that I love taking things from you. If you're so confident, why not bet and get something that you want?"

Sarah paused for a second. Two weeks ago if anyone had said so plainly that they intended to fuck Chuck, it would have been an immediate throw down. Even today, if she saw a random woman checking out his ass in a bar, she was totally willing to protect what was hers. And for as outrageous as Carina sounded, she knew that she wasn't kidding one single bit. It wasn't a mean thing. It was just the way she thought about sex. Even though she would never express it in those terms, Carina honestly loved her. And in an odd way was protective of her. Her being here today, dropping everything, calling in favors, and risking her life in an off the books mission proved that once again. But she'd gladly fuck him in a heartbeat and just as gladly rub Sarah's face in the conquest to prove her point, just because she could… except for one simple fact… she couldn't… and she never would be able to. It actually made Sarah smile at the one thing in her life she could depend on. "I'd be pissed right now if I thought there was a chance in hell," she said. "But I don't. Just for the sake of conversation, what do you get if you win?"

Carina grinned evilly as she considered the manner. She always knew how to push Sarah's buttons. "When I win, you and Chuckles join me and one addition person of my choosing for one whole twenty-four hour period with me calling all the shots," she said. "That should be enough to prove to you that I'm right. Besides it would be fun to see tight ass Sarah Walker loosen up for once. And I think that maybe I could put you in some positions that would have you both so on fire we'd maybe burn the bedroom down. Trust me, blondie, you'll be happy that you lost."

Sarah laughed. "You've been trying to get me loosened up for almost ten years now," she said. "How many times have you tried to talk me into fucking somebody while you were there watching? Really, Carina, you're starting to sound just like Bryce. He was always begging for that same thing. When are you going to give that up? I'm actually starting to question your preferences. I think that maybe you have something of a crush on me." She stopped laughing and paused for a long moment. "I'll talk to him about it," she finally said. "I would love to see you have to admit that Chuck is different from your vision of what men are. And hearing about Morocco would be fun too. I'm guessing that you're embarrassed about some detail that occurred while you were in the process of fucking my partner. Understand, I want the full story with no slutty detail omitted."

Carina's face turned beet red. That in itself was an amazing statement. "No problem," she said. "And you understand, I call the shots for one whole day. I don't have a crush on you. You flatter yourself. I feel sorry for you. You need to learn what it is to live on the edge for once. If I have to be the one to teach you… I'm fine with that. I expect you to insure that Chuck is totally on board. I expect your full and unabashed participation in fucking anybody I choose in any way I choose. You will be making sure I'm entertained all day. You both can expect to acquire some new experiences."

Sarah laughed ever harder. "Oh, Carina," she said. "If you only knew. You think that you have to teach me something. The irony is that it's me that could teach you something if you'd only let me. The tragic thing here is that you don't realize that whatever momentary thrill you get from your kinky, on the edge, sex pales compared to the glow from making love with someone you actually love." She paused for a moment. "I'll talk to him. I'd like to hear the Morocco story. I can't deny that. But if he says no, it's no. I'm not going to try and talk him into it. I actually think that he might be okay with this. There is no way to lose. He might have some fun watching you go down."

"Him watching me go down is exactly my plan," Carina said with a grin. "On him. How did you guess?"

The pure surety in her voice at such a brazen expression got Sarah laughing. "You're impossible," she said. "Are we all set for this morning?"

"I have five men," Carina said. "It's all I could gather on short notice without going through official DEA channels."

"It can't be helped," Sarah said. "This guy is firmly established here. Who knows who is on his payroll? The worst possible thing would be for him to get tipped off somehow. We have three people, including my husband, fairly helpless on his yacht."

"We'll still be outnumbered two to one," Carina sighed. "At least we'll have surprise."

"We have more than surprise," Sarah said.

"We have a secret weapon."

x-x-x-x-x

Laura's assignment was simple. Keep Rock occupied while all this went down. So she found him in their bedroom packing. "This is sad," she said. "I'll really miss this ship."

"Don't worry," Rock said. "The new one is a lot bigger. We'll have it Thursday. We can survive in the hotel for a couple of days."

"I know," she sighed. "But this has some sentimental value. It's where we first made love." Laura had to fight to keep the look of disgust from her face. They had never made love, not even close. In fact, Laura had never made love in her life. The closest she ever came to it was listening to Sarah gush on and on about how wonderful it was. Rock had fucked her, plain and simple. Laura had rather willingly fucked him probably about three hundred times over the past few months, not that she was counting in any way. It really wasn't that big of a deal, just part of her job. She sometimes was even able to lie there under him with her legs in the air and pretend he was someone else. She actually was able to get off herself about a third of the time.

But this last fuck wasn't going to be easy. And the funny thing was that she wasn't totally sure why this one was different. It just was. Okay, so Casey was standing on the dock waiting for her. But certainly that wasn't it. Even if they ever developed into something serious, he would totally understand what spies were expected to do, wouldn't he? She made a mental note to try and have this discussion with him, hopefully without it getting too heavy… right after she rocked his world several times. No pun intended.

Laura stepped behind Rock and wrapped her arms around him. She allowed one hand to drift down suggestively until… _Did this man really always have a huge erection? It was almost inhuman._ "Maybe one last time on our bed for old time's sake," she whispered into his ear.

"I don't think we have time," Rock said. "As much as I'd like too."

"They'll wait for us," Laura said softly as she stepped in front of him and allowed her top to hit the floor. "Won't they? Please don't make me get on my knees and beg. On second thought maybe that works."

Rock was never gentle in bed. It simply wasn't in him. He didn't think in those terms. Fucking was an activity designed to make a man feel good. It was something that a woman owed her man, a payment for being taken care of. So once his decision was made Laura found herself lying on her back and her bottoms being pealed down her legs. He had the condom in place so quickly that she barely had time to get her knees in the air in a position to keep him from hurting her as his initial thrust plunged himself deep into her.

He was being pretty rough, even rougher than usual, slamming into her over and over. Maybe he was angry about being forced into whoring her out last night. It would be just like him to take that out on her, even when it was totally his call. And actually, for today anyway, rougher was better. There was no chance to think about Casey and enjoy this. So there wouldn't be any guilt… with Casey later tonight or with Rock in a few minutes when she ended him.

In fact… "Fuck me harder," she goaded as she strained against his weight that was pinning her to the bed making it hard to breathe. "Let's make this one to remember. Give me everything you've got."

Rock was apparently happy to oblige. Laura quickly felt her head being tossed about with every stroke, coming close to knocking the wind out of her. "Harder," she said. She forced herself to spread her legs open as far as she possibly could, against her instincts to close her legs to try and protect herself, giving him total access to violently pound into her over and over. "Fuck me harder." Each vicious stroke made her just a little madder.

There would be no guilt today… or mercy.

x-x-x-x-x

Chuck could see the truck parked by the dock when they were still a ways away. That was his tip off that the plan was on target and that Rock had actually transferred the money. As they got closer, he could see Josh and Casey standing by the truck. Sarah was hidden, hopefully with whatever DEA Agents Carina was able to quickly gather. In their planning session Sarah laughed at him when he wondered how many men from the Miami office would owe Carina a quick, off the record favor.

Rock's men on the dock were making no attempt to hide. Why should they? No one was expecting any trouble.

Joey sat on Chuck's lap under the pretext of thinking him for buying the ship for her… oh and the 'wild' night. "I count twenty," she whispered to him. "With the ten on the ship, that's thirty."

"I know," Chuck said. "I'll make sure they know about the change in plans and wait until everyone is off the ship."

"Okay," Joey said as she snuggled into him with another quick kiss.

"I know that you're just teasing," Chuck said. "But sitting on my lap and kissing me in front of Sarah unless it is absolutely necessary for the cover would be a major fuck up. A major… fuck… up."

"Yes, sir," Joey said. "I'll definitely take that advice to heart."

"Don't call me sir," Chuck said facetiously with a grin. "I'm already upset with you. I have a headache from drinking all that tequila last night."

Joey matched his grin. "Okay… Daddy."

"That's better," Chuck said, still clearly teasing. "Now take that sexy body someplace where it will be of some use and go distract the men so that I can talk to Sarah."

x-x-x-x-x

Sarah sat in her hiding place in the van waiting for the battle to begin. Yes, it was a dangerous situation. And Chuck was in the middle of it. Yet she found that she couldn't keep the stupid grin off her face. This so reminded her of her C.A.T. days… including Carina trying her damndest to get a quickie in just before the fighting started. She wondered how long after the battle she would wait before she found some lame excuse to lose her top. That was something of a Carina post battle tradition. Hopefully, she would wait until they were on the plane. And she didn't have time to warn poor Chuck. Fortunately her current target, Josh, wasn't all that interested. There was one thing about Carina, though. She didn't give up easily.

Finally the ship was in sight. And that meant that their wires were again in range. After a bit of static, all that was coming over Laura's wire was moaning, grunting, and a squeaking bed. So it was clear what her assignment was.

Then she heard it. She was honestly so relieved to hear his voice that it didn't immediately register that he was talking to her. But quickly enough, she keyed her mike. "I copy you," she said. "What is your situation?"

"Better than planned," said Chuck's hushed voice. "The men are going to leave the ship. Hold off the attack until all ten are on the dock."

"Roger that," Sarah said as she took a moment to inform the rest of the team. "There were eleven. I assume from the sounds coming from Laura's wire mean that she has one occupied."

"Affirmative," Chuck said. "She deserves her private shot at him, right? By the way, nothing happened last night. Not even any teasing. They're both all talk. I'm beginning to think that this seductive spy thing is a hoax. By the way, who is Roger? You're not the only one who can get jealous."

Sarah fought back the laugh, barely. Chuck could always make her laugh. But they were in the middle of a mission, not the place to encourage him. Even so, she smiled at her guy. He was looking out for his team. He knew that Laura wanted to deal with Rock herself. He had changed the plan to give her that shot. Even better he was looking out for his wife. How sweet was that? "Good to know," she said firmly. "Roger is an old friend of the family. But this isn't really the time or place for that discussion. We'll talk later."

"Yes, ma'am," he said, clearly chastised.

That made Sarah feel guilty when he was being so sweet. So she softened her tone about ten notches. "Stay safe," she said. "I expect you to impress me."

"And I don't impress easily."

x-x-x-x-x

There was one thing that anybody who had ever planned a mission knew full well. There was no such thing as a perfect mission. Things happened that you couldn't possibly predict. You had to build in contingencies in your planning to account for those unexpected things. So this mission maybe wasn't perfect. But it was as close as anybody could ever remember.

Rock's men filed off the boat with their packed bags and basically stood in formation. As soon as the men from the dock took possession of the truck, Carina and her DEA jumped out of hiding and announced a raid.

Since the men on the dock were armed, the DEA Agents, augmented by Carina, Josh, and Casey, concentrated on them. Some quickly correctly read the situation and surrendered. But most foolishly decided to shoot it out. And the bad guys had the advantage in numbers, but the good guys had the advantage of cover. More important, they also had Casey. So after about ten of them were lying on the dock in various stages of bleeding to death, the others quickly gave up.

That left the ten that had been on the boat for Joey and Chuck to deal with. They weren't really armed. A couple maybe had a knife strapped on their waist but most had packed all of their weapons. Then again, Joey and Chuck weren't armed either. But it became quickly obvious a group of mercenary drug runners were no match against a pissed off Intersect 2.0. Joey handled her three in methodical fashion much like she had in the restaurant yesterday. She did take a glancing punch or two. But Chuck was blowing through men faster than anyone could count.

Sarah had to make a quick call. In the planning session with Casey and Josh last night, they decided that she should be prepared to assist against the armed men. Their guns were the biggest threat to everybody. And they weren't exactly sure how many men Carina could deliver on such short notice. But she quickly determined that situation was under control. And who are we kidding? It would have had to be total disaster for her to make any other call. She quickly went to help Chuck.

By the time Sarah got there, Chuck was down to his last conscious man. "Okay Daddy," she said. "If you think that I don't get at least one…" So Chuck smiled and took a step back.

The drug dude also smiled as he saw this pretty young blonde square off against him. He looked around and knew that he had no hope of escape. But maybe he could have a little fun before they slapped the cuffs on him. So he threw a roundhouse right at Sarah that would have knocked her head completely off her shoulders… had it landed. She was clearly quicker than she looked. He shortened the next punch a little, going for more precision and a little less power, again with the same result. Several punches later, he was getting a little winded and this pretty blonde was still just standing there grinning at his futility. So he lowered his head and bull rushed her. Once he had her on the ground, his size advantage would simply be too great.

As it turned out, that strategy was… well, a little short sighted. Sarah's left foot along with his own momentum caused a blow to his jaw that would have dropped a charging bull. He fell to the deck in a semi conscious heap.

Chuck turned to his wife who wasn't even close to breathing hard. "Nice kick," he said with a grin.

Sarah didn't respond until she was in his arms. "Thanks," she said as soon as that first long kiss broke. "You don't get all of the fun."

"See," Chuck said. "I love it when you get all bad ass. That guy didn't stand a chance. I almost was feeling sorry for him."

Sarah turned to where Joey was standing after helping the team in making sure that any men who were still breathing were wearing cuffs. "Talk about bad ass," she said. "You got three. That was most impressive. I saw you take a couple of blows. Are you okay?"

If Joey was trying to hide that she was on cloud nine from getting such a glowing complement from her mentor, she sure as hell wasn't doing a very good job. She was positively radiant. "Thanks," was the only word she could get past the grin that was threatening to break her face. "I'm fine."

Suddenly a shot rang out, then another, then yet another. When they turned they saw a naked Laura pumping bullets into an also naked Rock's head until he fell overboard, dead into the water. She continued pumping rounds into his floating body until the gun just clicked. Then she threw the gun, hitting him directly in what used to be his head. "Fuck me harder," she growled. "Not ever again."

"What are you doing out here?" Chuck called out to her.

"I didn't want to get blood on your new boat," she replied. Then she waived, clearly ignoring the fact that she was buck naked… and currently being gawked at by about a dozen men, both good and bad. "Hi Casey," she called. "It's good to see you."

If Casey was embarrassed, he did a good job at hiding it. "Um, it's good to see you too," he said. "All of you."

Sarah turned to Chuck. "Your new boat?" she asked with a confused half smile.

"It's your boat," Chuck said with a grin. "I bought it for you as a wedding present. I figured we would take it to Washington instead of the plane. Maybe we could relax for a couple of days before our next mission."

"You bought it?" Sarah asked. "Chuck, how much does something like this cost?"

"I have no idea," Chuck said with a laugh. "It comes complete with a captain and a chef. He told me to use it for a few weeks and then pay him whatever I thought it was worth. I think the moron was afraid of me. I have the signed over title in my pocket. Let's take him up on it. They were almost his dying words." He tuned to Joey. "Go get a bottle of champagne from the galley," he said. "We'll re-christen her."

"I'm way ahead of you, Daddy," Joey said as she ran up the walkway. "I stashed one for just this occasion. May I do the honors?"

"Let me guess," Casey said. "You're going to name her The Sarah? That's pretty cliché."

"The Sexy Sarah," Josh said. "That would be better."

"Nope," Joey said. She broke bottle against the bow. "Daddy already told me. I christen thee The Enforcer."

That got them all laughing. "The Enforcer," Casey said as soon as he could stop laughing. "Going for symbolism, I see. That name fits on more than one level."

Sarah was busy blinking away the happy tears. "I think that is maybe the sweetest thing I've ever heard of," she said. Then she glared up at Laura who was still standing there naked as a jaybird and making absolutely no effort to cover anything. "And here I thought for sure that Carina would be the first one naked."

"I'll bet that she isn't far behind," Laura called down. "She always follows whatever I do."

"My ass," Carina replied, only half kidding. "One guy in a bar chooses her one time, and now she thinks she's the queen of pickups. Between you and me, I think that the guy had a screw loose."

"Let's get on board," Chuck said. "We need to be out of the area before the DEA backup arrive.

"Oh my God," Joey said. "This is going to be a regular party boat. Tequila, cocaine, dancing, naked women. Sarah, what are you going to do with Chuck?"

Sarah looked at Joey as if she had grown a second head. "I know that I sort of agreed to mentor you, rookie," she said. "But I'm really hoping that you're not expecting training in that particular area."

That got the whole group laughing.

Chuck broke out of Sarah's embrace and walked up to Joey who's face was pretty red. "I'm afraid that this is going to get pretty wild tonight, with Carina and Laura competing to see who can wear the fewest clothes and be the most risqué drinking and dancing," he said so that only she could hear. "Don't do anything you don't want to do. You're not competing with them."

Joey shook her head sadly. "Like I could compete with them," she said.

"Nobody would notice me no matter what I do."

x-x-x-x-x


	39. Dead Demons

_I still don't own Chuck._

_Chuck and Sarah have basically spent every day with each other for a year now. In most ways they know each other very well. They fell in love way before either of them could admit it or deal with it. They both came into their relationship with a ton of personal baggage. They have only been a real couple for less than a month. But now they are married. Maybe it's time that they dealt with some of that baggage._

_If you enjoyed this or any of the stories on this site, please take a second and send the author a review. It only takes a second – and it really, really makes a difference. That's probably more important than ever now that the series has ended. If you want to keep the Chuck fandom alive and continue to read about these characters, you really need to think about rewarding the people whose hard work make that possible._

**Dead Demons**

x-x-x-x-x

It was a good thing that it was a big boat, because Carina invited her DEA friends to come to Washington with them. Three of the five actually accepted. And since they had just risked their lives on a totally unsanctioned mission for him, how could Chuck object? Besides, the ship had enough room for many multiples of that. The chef assured him that they were well stocked with whatever gourmet food they chose for meals. He was clearly trying to impress his new bosses. He promised a surf and turf dinner fit for a king, or more appropriately, a drug lord.

Even more important, Laura assured him that there was more than enough booze for a two day trip. In fact that was understatement. She was also clearly trying to impress her new bosses. Being so brazenly 'sacrificed' by Beckman had her running the full gamut of emotions. At first she was shocked. That wasn't the deal between a soldier and her commander… and everybody knew it. After a bit it saddened her. Laura didn't cry, she hardly ever cried. But Sarah could tell that she was close. That quickly enough faded into her current mood - incredibly pissed off. It had her seriously rethinking her own future. In fact that was also understatement. She was actually forced to consider rethinking her future on multiple levels. They were headed for Washington for a mission. But that was also where Seth was. And that was something she had put off thinking about since he left that night in Vegas.

It took a while for Chuck to get everyone situated in a room. Oh, there were plenty of rooms on multiple decks. But did Casey and Laura want to share? Josh and Joey? Carina and her three friends? Finally Chuck gave all of them their own room and whoever ended up sleeping with whom… well Chuck decided that he really didn't want to know.

By the time everyone was settled in their rooms it was noon, time for a light lunch on the front deck. Chef promised a feast in the formal dining area for dinner so burgers and beer would have to settle for lunch. Little did he know that cheeseburgers were Sarah's feast. Of course she was still looking forward to lobster tonight. But first she had to fix things with Chuck.

x-x-x-x-x

Chuck and Sarah weren't in their room, the master stateroom, for ten seconds before she had her arms wrapped tightly around his neck. "I have to talk to you," she said.

Chuck knew her well enough that he could immediately tell that she was emotional and tried valiantly to lighten her mood. "Okay," he said. "We haven't been alone for over a day now. I was sort of hoping that we'd do a little more than talk."

No sale. Sarah wasn't in the mood to be teased. "Not now, okay?" Sarah said. "I didn't think I'd ever say that to you. But first we have to talk. I have to tell you how sorry I am."

"Why are you sorry?"

"I found out something about myself last night," Sarah said sadly. "I've been taking you for granted. I've been such a bitch."

"I thought we've agreed…"

"I know," Sarah interrupted. "I get that you don't like it when I refer to myself as a bitch. I'm sorry. It's the only word that fits. I've been a royal bitch."

"Okay," Chuck said. "First, how about if you calm down a little? It can't be that bad. You're shaking. Not only that, you're choking me." As soon as Sarah released her grip a little he could see her trying to maintain her composure, and not really being all that successful. He could see the tears welling in her eyes and even the beginning of a tremble in her lip. He knew that trying to comfort her in this situation wasn't going to go well until she had whatever it was off her chest. "Okay," he said. "Tell me about it."

"I had a horrible time last night," Sarah started off slowly. "One of the worst nights of my life. And at first I couldn't figure out why I was feeling so bad. Then I had a terrible dream. You were fucking Joey and Laura to protect the cover. At first you were resisting a little. But then you really started to get into it."

"Come on, Sarah," Chuck said, maybe a little more harshly than he intended. "You know that would never happen. Surely you're not going to hold anything against me that happened in your dream."

"It seemed so real," Sarah said. "And I'm not holding anything against you, just the opposite. Yes, I know that you would never willingly fuck another woman, much less two. I absolutely know that. I honestly don't fear it, not even a little bit. But I still woke up crying. It wasn't even the sex part that was so bad. Laura was whispering into your ear the whole time about how you shouldn't feel guilty, that this was what was expected from spies, that it was the only way to survive, that a relationship with a spy simply had to account for fucking other people. There was even some crazy stuff. She told you that I fucked Peter West on his desk while she watched. She said that I was afraid to tell you how much I enjoyed the wild sex with marks, that it happened a lot more than I admit."

"Okay," Chuck said. "But dreams are crazy. You know that, right? We trust each other. Why would you…"

Sarah pulled away and stomped to the other side of the room. "You're not listening to me!" she interrupted angrily. "I know that we fucking trust each other. It's not about that." Then she saw the devastated look on his face and lowered her voice. "I'm sorry that I snapped at you," she said softly. "I understand that I'm emotional right now. But you don't understand. I knew that none of those things that Laura was saying was true. I even knew that you knew they weren't true. I still felt like crap. I was panicked, Chuck. And then it hit me why I was feeling so horrible. I've let you feel this exact feeling over and over… and I didn't do anything about it. I made you watch me leave to spend the night with my ex-husband, made you watch while I went to Peter West's office dressed like a slut and offer to become his sex toy, and I didn't do a damn thing to help you through it. I made fun of you, called you a silly baby for being jealous, maybe not out loud all the time, but I was thinking it. And now I know how horrible it feels, what I've been doing to you, the only man I've ever loved. I'm such a bitch."

"You're not a bitch!" Chuck responded angrily. "Stop saying that." Then he realized how he sounded. "I'm sorry. But come on, Sarah. You just said it. You didn't know how it felt. Now you do."

"I should have known," Sarah said sadly. "A wife is supposed to know."

"How?" Chuck asked. He responded to her look. "No, seriously, Sarah. Tell me how exactly do you think you should have known? Did your parents teach you how to be in a committed relationship, much less a wife? Did the CIA? At least I had Ellie. Who did you have? Laura? Seth? Carina? Bryce? Here's the honest, no bullshit truth. You're doing a great job at being my wife. Nobody could possibly ask for more effort than you've put into us. I'm honestly incredibly proud of you, and even more grateful. You've grown so much. Frankly you're way ahead of what I… um, feared isn't the right word. But you get what I'm saying, right?"

And just like that… out of nowhere Sarah was again overcome with emotion. Except this was the happy kind. Here was the nicest, sweetest man in the world going way, way out of his way for one reason. He was trying desperately to make her feel better. Suddenly the sex that she always depended on to make things up to him seemed shallow somehow. For today anyway, she needed to find a better way. So she ran to him, wrapped her arms around his neck, and again squeezed with everything she had.

Chuck knew that there was a time for teasing. That usually worked with Sarah… but this wasn't that time. So he wrapped his own arms around his softly sobbing wife's waist and gave back everything he had. They stayed that way, just wordlessly hugging each other for what seemed like hours.

"I think we should run," Sarah finally said so softly that Chuck wasn't sure he heard her correctly.

If he hadn't believed it before, that was Chuck's tip off that Sarah was seriously freaked out about last night. After all, what had changed since the last time they had this discussion? "Sarah," he said as softly as her could. "Haven't we been through this? How can we run?"

"I don't know," Sarah finally admitted. "But we're smart. We can figure out a way. We have money. We have my training and the Intersect. We have to do something. We can't let Beckman turn us back into spies. I know that it was just a stupid dream, but Laura was ultimately right. If we stay spies, we're eventually going to find ourselves in a situation where one of us has to fuck someone. And, yes, I believe that our marriage could survive that. But Chuck, I don't want to survive that. I never want to feel that way again. I sure as hell don't want to ever make you feel that way again."

Suddenly Chuck understood what was bothering her. "Beckman doesn't have that power," he said. "And for all of her bluster, she never will. Only we could decide to become spies again. And we're not going to. We're going to do this one thing, far more for us than for her, and then retire undefeated. Come on, Sarah, let's get on the table what this is really about. You fear that I'm going to betray you."

Sarah immediately protested the charge. "I trust you," she insisted. "Why would you say something like that to me? That was a horrible thing to say."

"Because it's the truth," Chuck said. "It's not about trust. It's about fear. Fear is not rational. Let's face it, everybody that you've ever thought that you loved in your whole life has betrayed you. Your dad, your first husband, your best friend, your partner, and now even the CIA. There would be something wrong if you didn't fear that on some level. Sarah, I'm your husband. It's okay to admit that to me. I'm not offended at all. Let me help you with it."

Sarah remembered Josh's words last night. Maybe it was time to watch Chuck slay one of those demons. "I feel horrible," she whispered. "You've been so amazing. I trust you, Chuck. I do."

"I know you do," Chuck said as he rubbed her back. "I have my fears too. And they're just as groundless. I know that you're not going to see some smooth good looking guy hitting on you in a bar and go home with him. There is zero question in my mind. I absolutely know that. In fact it's silly. It's pretty much the last thing you would do. But I'm still insecure when it comes to you. You're out of my league. I'm not that smooth guy everybody expects you to be with. So on some level I still fear that."

"You're right," Sarah said. "It is silly. I didn't let myself get picked up in bars ever. And I'm about done hearing that you think I'm out of your league. But I'm not upset. I totally understand what you're saying. It's irrational. We can't help it. It's like being afraid of the dark. So what do we do about it?"

"We're doing it right now," Chuck said. "When we feel that fear, we honestly talk to each other about it. We admit what we're feeling to each other without trying to hide or put a brave face on it. And most important, we help each other, are sensitive to each other's fear. Each day that goes by and I see you ignore the guys that are staring at your ass my fear gets a little less. In fact it's almost gone. Hopefully each day that goes by and I haven't fucked Joey, or Laura, or both, your fear will get a little less. I understand that talking is hard for you. But we're growing, Sarah. Could we possibly have had this discussion a week ago? Now why don't you prove me right and tell me the real reason you're so troubled?"

Sarah knew that he saw through her. Josh was right. Maybe it was time to truly let him know how she really felt about him. "I'm inadequate," she finally said. "If we're going to be really honest, I want you to admit that you think so."

Chuck just rubbed her back for a long moment. "I'm sorry," he finally said. "I just can't admit that. In fact, as happy as I am that you're finally admitting that fear to me, I have to tell you, it makes me want to bang my head against the fucking wall. I don't even know where that's coming from. Just like you feel when I say that you're out of my league."

Chuck spent another long moment just rubbing her back. For one thing, he knew that she loved that. But more important, he knew that he had to be very precise in how he responded. "Let's examine the situation logically, shall we?" he finally began. "Here we have a clearly brilliant woman who graduated from Harvard. She speaks scores of languages fluently without even thinking about it. Not only that, she also happens to be the most beautiful woman in the world. Most women like that would be pretty arrogant… unapproachable even, especially for someone like me. But not her. She doesn't have an arrogant bone in her body, even thinks she's inadequate. Not to mention that this woman has dedicated her life to fight for the greater good, worked and practiced until she had made herself this bad ass, sexy ninja. She has made sacrifices that most people wouldn't even consider. And now, for some reason that I still can't totally understand, this amazing creature fell in love with me. And that is even understating it. She is totally devoted to me. If someone stole my parking space at the mall, she would drag him out through his car window and beat him within an inch of his life. She would gladly do any disgusting thing I would ever ask of her in the bedroom, or anyplace when it comes down to it, even begs me to think of creative ways that she can make me happy. She spends her days dreaming of the family she wants to make with me and how to be the very best wife and mother that she possibly can. Inadequate, Sarah? Really? Okay, just like you, I get that the fear is irrational. But don't ask me to call her inadequate. I can't do it. I worship her."

And just like that another demon was, if not slain, then flopping on the floor mortally wounded. It felt… wonderful. "A couple of things," she said. "First, I know that you worship me. I absolutely know that… but not half as much as I do you. I'm sorry for being so needy. Second, you're making the sex stuff seem like an unpleasant chore that I force myself to do for you. If you haven't noticed by all of the moaning there isn't a single thing we've ever done in the bedroom that I didn't enjoy far more than you did. Our making love together is the very best thing in my life. I daydream about it pretty much all the time. I look forward to it, maybe more than is totally healthy. I can't imagine you asking for something that I wouldn't find myself enjoying if I knew that it was making you happy. This is something that I know you don't believe. But I love it when you ask me for things. I just wish you felt more comfortable with it. Finally, Chuck, how do you always know exactly what I need to hear? It's almost spooky."

Chuck was obviously quite pleased with himself. "It's a gift," he said with a smirk.

That actually got a bit of a smile. "Okay," she said. "Yes, I agree with everything you've said. We are growing. Every time we talk, it gets a little easier. We're slaying each other's demons. That's the thing that I probably appreciate about you the most. But I still should have done better with helping you," she insisted, but this time with a bit of a twinkle. "You can't honestly say that you don't get frustrated with me sometimes."

"Wow," Chuck said with something of his own smile. "I think that maybe I see the real problem. You're Sarah. You have to be perfect at everything. Well, missy, nobody is perfect. Okay, yes, I get frustrated sometimes, just like you get frustrated with me. I freely admit that. I fully expect it to continue for the rest of our lives. I'll admit that I've struggled with thinking of you and other men, maybe a little more than I've ever admitted to you. That's something where you could help me a lot by talking to me about what actually happened."

"Do you really want to hear the details of Agent Walker on seduction missions?" she asked incredulously.

"I really do," Chuck insisted. "The Academy too. If you tell me what actually happened, why, and how you were feeling then I don't have to lie in bed at night and imagine the worst. I get that would be very hard for you. That's why I haven't ever pressed you on it. But it would help me. And I think I could help you too."

Sarah stood for a long moment trying to decide if he was being honest… or just trying to help her. Finally she decided that he was being honest. "Okay," she finally said. "After we're done with the mission, we'll talk. I'll tell you every lurid detail. I won't pretend to be looking forward to it. But you're right. Hearing the truth is better than imaging the worst. Is there anything else you need? Come on, Chuck, you have to be mad at me for the way I acted with Seth. I'm mad at me. Why shouldn't you be? It's okay to admit that, isn't it?"

"I'm not mad," Chuck said. "That's way too strong. I'll admit that maybe I hoped you would have been a little more understanding when I was dealing with you with Seth and West. But I also think you're being ridiculously hard on yourself. You're not perfect. Deal with it. And you know what? I'm glad you're not perfect… and do you know why?"

Sarah just shook her head.

Chuck squeezed her a little tighter. "Because if you were perfect, you'd have no need to offer me wild, kinky sex to compensate for your failings," he said as his smile turned into a grin. "It's been two days. It was a good talk. But do you think that we could maybe get past the feeling guilty phase and into the punishment phase? It's put up or shut up time, missy. Maybe we could do one or more of those disgusting things that you claim to enjoy more than I do."

The thought of Chuck taking charge must have been enough to get Sarah out of her funk, because now she was almost instantly incredibly aroused. "I've been bad," she admitted with her own sheepish grin. "Do you have a specific disgusting thing in mind?"

Chuck pretended to consider the question for a moment as he stepped out the embrace. "You've been very, very bad," he said as he stroked his chin. "It would have to include some pretty wild sex. I think that's a given. I think maybe I could get used to being a drug lord and having a fuck toy. Why don't you get things started and entertain me by taking off your shirt for me… slowly, while I think about your next task? It's probably in your best interest in making this as sexy as you possibly can. If you make me go out there into that drunken orgy in this condition, Carina might actually win your bet."

Sarah's face instantly turned red. She paused in unbuttoning her shirt. "How did you know about that?" she asked.

"Now see," Chuck said as he motioned for her to continue. "I said slowly… but not quite that slowly. I didn't mean for you to stop. Carina was nice enough to tell me all about it while you were talking to Joey doing your mentor thing. I accepted for you. I figured you wouldn't mind. There is no way for her to win… unless."

Sarah ignored his teasing. "I was going to talk to you about that," she said quickly. The guilt in her face was plain. "She's not joking."

"I'd be a little careful if I was you," Chuck said in mock seriousness. "I have to say, so far you're falling a little short of my expectations of a fuck toy. Joey actually came closer. If you don't start taking your job seriously and make a full effort to put on a wild show for me, I just might let Carina win. She still scares me, but it might be more than a little interesting to see what she comes up with."

Sarah inwardly breathed a huge sigh of relief. It finally registered that he was clearly teasing her. At least that meant that he wasn't mad. "Please, Daddy," she said in her best little girl voice. "Anything but that. Being under Carina's control for a whole day… she would take great pleasure in making me give her tons of… well, pleasure. I'll do anything to avoid that."

"Now see," Chuck said in faux annoyance. "You say that like you mean it… and yet you're standing there still wearing your bra. How do you expect me to believe that you're sincere?"

Sarah put on her little girl pout as she quickly unfastened and handed it over. "I suppose that my panties will also be part of my payment."

Chuck laughed at the rhetorical nature of her question. Because she was already stepping out of them. "Of course," he said. "Did you really have to ask?"

"Hand them over."

x-x-x-x-x

After Sarah's, um, punishment was finally concluded, they decided to take a nap. After all, this promised to be quite the long night. It was the damndest thing. For as horrible as Sarah felt just a few short hours ago, now she felt every bit as wonderful, almost giddy.

She was only a little torn why she felt so great. After all, they still had problems. Yes, Beckman still had to be dealt with. And the Volkoff mission wasn't going to be easy.

Maybe it was waking up cuddled so comfortably with her husband. And that did feel great, warm, safe. It was incredible how you could be laying there not wearing a single stitch of anything, and yet not at all feel naked in any way.

But more likely it was the body of that demon that was still lying there on the floor after Chuck killed it for her, like a normal husband would kill a spider in the bathroom. Oh, make no mistake. That demon had some friends who were still alive and well. But their days were numbered. It was just a matter of time before Sarah pointed them out and watched her loving husband cheerfully slay them for her.

And that realization, that she was free of the weight of being Sarah Walker… well that wasn't it exactly. The weight was still there. It's just that now she had someone to help carry it. The irony is that he had been there the whole time. He had been begging her to allow him to help. She was just too stubborn, too scared. But now she trusted him enough to help her. It simply felt wonderful, life changing.

Suddenly Sarah was in the mood to party… like she had never partied before. Spies like Laura and Carina lived for times like this. Times when the battle was over, the threat was eliminated, and they could let their hair down and just have fun. Sarah had seen it happen scores of times. But she had never allowed herself to fully participate, to let her hair down. She knew that unless she was in control of herself there was always someone standing there who would take advantage of her. But tonight… "Chuck," she said softly. "Are you awake?"

"I'm awake," Chuck finally said sleepily. "Your stomach growling woke me up. Oh wait, maybe that was my stomach."

"We must have worked up quite an appetite," Sarah said. "I'm starved too. We should probably get out there."

"Do we have to get dressed?" Chuck teased. "With Carina out there egging everyone on, it's only a matter of time before everyone is naked anyway, right? We might as well save some time."

"But don't you want to see your fuck toy strip for your amusement, Daddy?" Sarah asked with a grin as she teased right back. "You were all over that idea a couple of hours ago."

"Good point," Chuck said.

"We don't have to go," Sarah said. "It's going to get really wild. We can just have them bring our dinner in here."

"Thanks for the thought," Chuck said. "But do you really think that I'm going to cheat my best girl out of a night of dancing? It's her very favorite thing. I can probably live with Carina pushing her tits in my face for a night."

"Hopefully that was figurative," Sarah said with a laugh. "But with Carina, who knows? She knows that she can make you blush on demand. That's like throwing blood into shark infested waters. Laura, and probably to a lesser extent even Joey will also take great pleasure in seeing you uncomfortably embarrassed."

"They didn't do anything of the kind last night," Chuck protested. "And they had me totally trapped."

"They were being respectful last night because I wasn't there," Sarah said. "It's kind of sweet, actually. Trust me, sweetie. It's going to be totally different tonight because they know I'm watching. They are going to tease you mercilessly. So if you don't want to go through that, I totally understand. We'll just stay here. Maybe we can have that talk you wanted. Maybe I can even spin some of the stories into third person to make it a little exciting."

"Come on, Sarah," Chuck said with a smile. "As tempting as that sounds, I think that you're underestimating me a little. You've grown. But hopefully so have I. Maybe it's time that I proved it and watched you have some fun. Who knows? Maybe I'll enjoy shooting down your trio of sexy spies more than we think."

"Okay," Sarah said. "Thank you. I want to get this on the table. I'm looking forward to finally be able to dance all night and not worry about how much I've had to drink. You'll have my back."

Chuck's smile turned into a grin. "I don't think I've ever seen you drunk before," he said. "You were on your way the other night drinking shots with Joey. Are we going farther than that tonight? Suddenly I find myself looking forward to it more and more. Be prepared for me to totally take advantage of you when we get back here and you're on your ass."

That got a giggle. "Nobody's ever seen me drunk before," she said. "I've never trusted anybody enough, till now. One promise that I want you to make. The second you feel uncomfortable… about anything, the party ends for us and we come back here and start our own party. Nothing is worth risking the wonderful growth we've finally made, is it?"

"I promise," Chuck said. "Maybe we could have a little fun with Carina. She needs to be put in her place, don't you think? Maybe a little public humiliation…"

Sarah stared at Chuck for a long moment. Finally a smile broke out. "What's going on in that massive brain of yours," she asked. "I would love to put Carina in her place. The reward for something like that… Who am I kidding? It would be wild sex."

"She's pretty predictable," Chuck said with his own grin. "Everybody always tells me that being predictable is hazardous for a spy."

"Maybe we can give her a reminder."

x-x-x-x-x


	40. Party Boat

_I still don't own Chuck._

_I often get reviews that say one of my characters is acting OOC. I wince a little whenever I read that… because I'm not even sure it's possible for a Chuck character to be OOC. The show is notorious for having their characters act in ways that aren't consistent with what we'd seen up until then to meet whatever storyline they had in mind for that episode. In fact almost any characteristic you want to write into C/S, you can find someplace in the show to support your POV._

_Morgan is the poster child for that. The show runners spin it as character growth. I have a different take. The Morgan of S1 - S3 and the Morgan of S4- S5 are simply not the same character. I'm not particularly fond of either, hence, neither annoyingly pathetic Morgan nor annoyingly confident super spy Morgan hardly ever make it into my stories. In fact, except for Long Road Home, I can't think of one time._

_The reason that I bring it up is because Carina is also a little like that. S1 Carina was clearly more a rival to Sarah than a friend. She wasn't a very sympathetic character. She tried to seduce Chuck. She told him that she loved taking things that Sarah wanted. Her plan was to steal the diamond and leave Sarah holding the bag. She tricked Casey into thinking she was going to sleep with him (we assume) and left him handcuffed naked (as much as they could) to his bed._

_S3 Carina was Sarah's one true spy friend. She was the one who recognized that Sarah was hurting because she was in love and felt scorned. She is the one who gave Sarah the tape where Chuck is telling her that he left her standing in Prague because he loved her so much (nice try, Chuck, but no sale, right?) Except she slept with Morgan. Eww, right? Not only that, she pursued him and threw herself at him. Double eww, right? Then she did another flip by acting shocked she was getting married. But she also immediately came to Sarah's aid in S4 and was a bridesmaid in her wedding. Laura in this story is basically the Carina of S3._

_So mashing that all together is tough. My take on Carina is that she truly does love Sarah, but in a spy way. She is even a little protective of her ex-partner. She thinks she is dangerously naïve about being a spy and about men in general. She even thinks that Sarah's attitude about sex is unhealthy. In her mind being a spy means having a casual attitude about sex. That's how spies are supposed to be. It's how Laura and Joey are. She honestly would do almost anything to seduce Chuck, not out of spite, but to prove her point. Loving someone is dangerous. You can't depend on them. Bryce is the poster child. At a key point, they'll invariably let you down. She badly wants to win the bet because she's sure if she can just get Sarah to participate in that one wild night, she'll be hooked… and that would ultimately be good for her._

_Except even on the show Carina really didn't know Sarah as well as she thought, did she? That was also true of Bryce. They only saw what she allowed them to see. Sarah's not ever going to be a drunken orgy kind of chick. And Chuck even less. And Casey even less than him, lol. Let's see how they deal with Carina and Laura drunk on their ass in the middle of the ocean with nothing keeping them from seeing how wild they can get… oh and a jealous Joey trying to make it to the big leagues._

_If you've read all of my stories (and thanks) you'll recognize a couple of scenes in this chapter. Of course those other stories weren't rated M, lol._

_If you enjoyed this or any of the stories on this site, please take a second and send the author a review. It only takes a second – and it really, really makes a difference. That's probably more important than ever now that the series has ended. If you want to keep the Chuck fandom alive and continue to read about these characters, you really need to think about rewarding the people whose hard work make that possible._

**Party Boat**

x-x-x-x-x

_True love is something that can't be purchased or earned. It's not something that you can ever deserve or even be worthy of. No matter how hard you look, true love can never be found anyplace where it didn't already exist. True love can also never be hidden once it is found to exist._

x-x-x-x-x

The ten people who were staying on the ship were certainly in for a treat. Chuck couldn't pronounce the chef's twenty syllable French name. So after Sarah tried in vain to teach him about twenty times, in typical Chuck fashion he just called him Chef. But whatever his name was, he had outdone himself.

The dining room was decorated to look like an intimate candlelit club. Soft music was playing in the background. There were fresh flowers everywhere you looked. And the meal… it was simply amazing. It started off with an appetizer of a shrimp cocktail, with the biggest shrimp Chuck had ever seen, and crab stuffed mushrooms, also the biggest he had ever seen. The salad was buffet style, delivered to each person on a rolling cabinet so that they could build their own favorites from the rich selection of alternatives. The soup was a creamy lobster bisque, delivered piping hot. And just like last night, the filet simply melted in your mouth. Of course Sarah was far more interested in the lobster. Chef couldn't have possibly known how much Sarah loved twice baked potatoes, so it was probably just a lucky guess. But it was one that had her suitably impressed. Some perfectly sautéed asparagus rounded out the main course.

Chef was French. So naturally crème brulee was his specialty. It was served flaming at the table with the richest coffee, directly from Columbia, that Chuck had ever tasted. He and Sarah separately made it a point to visit him in the galley and thank him for the basically perfect meal.

The meal was so fabulous that nobody was in any hurry to end it any time soon. So they dawdled for a long time. In fact, by the time the meal was officially over, it was time to go out onto the front deck and watch the spectacular show that Mother Nature provided nightly, the sun setting from the cloudless sky into the ocean.

This was the time for Carina to implement the plan she had worked so hard on. She recruited Joey to help with phase one. That part was easy. So the prearranged conspiracy to get Sarah drunk on her ass shifted into high gear. The bar was well stocked with almost every type of adult beverage known to man. So Casey was able to find his scotch. Rum was the typical drink in these parts, and there was plenty to spare. But tequila was clearly the bloodthirsty drug runner drink of choice. There were cases of the stuff.

Laura more than likely would have been part of Carina's plan up to this point. She didn't know about and wouldn't have approved of Carina's ultimate end game. But she would definitely enjoy seeing Sarah drunk. Unfortunately for a while she was busy setting up the front deck for tonight's party. She knew the ship well, having basically lived on it for the past few months. And while the part that she was an expert in, the ceiling of the stateroom, wasn't in play tonight, she still knew where everything was, enough to quickly set up the deck as if it was a club, complete with soft lights and a dance floor.

Besides, Carina and Joey really didn't need any help. They were tag teaming her rather expertly, alternating doing a shot with her after every song while the other found some other place to be. Sarah loved to dance so much that she clearly didn't pick up on the fact that she was being played.

After the fifth or sixth shot, Chuck had honestly lost count himself, he tried to gently warn her. "Don't you think that maybe you should slow down a little?" he asked gently. "You're going to get sick."

Sarah wasn't visibly drunk, not yet anyway. You had to know her pretty well to look into her eyes and see the change that the tequila had caused. "Come on, Chuck," she replied with a pout. "We talked about this, didn't we? Lighten the fuck up. This is a party. Are you my daddy?"

That struck Joey as funny. So she plopped down on his lap playfully and put her arms around his neck. "That's right, Chuck," she said with a big silly grin. "This is a party. Lighten the fuck up." Then she turned to Sarah. "Actually on this mission he's my daddy."

That got everyone laughing. It was also the tip off that Carina's plan was working wonderfully, better than she even expected. The Sarah of a few hours ago may not have minded Joey sitting on his lap, for a second as a joke. But she would have clearly found some excuse to pull her off by now. In fact she just sat there laughing. She even seemed oblivious to the fact that as Joey was getting more and more comfortable, Chuck was getting more and more uncomfortable. That alone said that she wasn't in total control of her mental process.

The one thing that she was in total control of was the dancing. In fact, Sarah was a wild thing on that dance floor. No surprise there, that was pretty much always basically true. It was funny, for as conservative as Sarah was normally, she wasn't at all bashful when she was dancing. She always turned into a wild uninhibited blur of flying blonde hair and pure undiluted sexy… but tonight even that reached a new level as the high octane tequila Carina, Joey, and now Laura kept pouring into her revved her engine. Chuck quickly found himself unable to physically keep up with her. And that was fine. She danced with Josh and Joey, and even Laura a few times when he needed a break.

And Sarah plainly wasn't the only target tonight. Laura and Carina were also clearly tag teaming, working on the rookie spy to see how quickly they could get her initiated into partying in true big girl spy style. But that first meant getting her comfortable being more and more naked. Let's be clear. Joey was never bashful about publicly showing groups of men her tits on a mission. You didn't graduate from the CIA Academy if you were. It's just that privately she usually preferred them to be covered. But like the young teen who was finally invited to sit at the big table with the adults, Joey was obviously eager to fit in with the veteran spies. Naturally, neither Carina nor Laura would have any problem dancing on that floor wearing only a smile. But that wasn't the point. They wouldn't be happy until Joey was the one wearing only a smile. They also weren't above tricking her to get it to happen. They were plainly working her slowly down the corruption path that led to true spy slutdom.

So far it was relatively tame. At one time or another the three ladies must have disappeared for a moment. Because it suddenly became clear that all three had somehow misplaced their bras. Then every once in a while as they were dancing with her, Carina or Laura would reach down, pop open another button, and then look expectantly at Joey until she complied. Clearly the plan was that quite soon the shirts would become irrelevant, and eventually hit the floor. Already you didn't have to look all that hard on the dance floor to get a peak at a semi bare breast as they bounced around to the wild beat.

Carina quite frankly wasn't paying all that much attention to Joey at this point. Her decent into slutdom would have to be left in Laura's more than capable hands for a while. She had her own problems. Oh she was sure that she could get Bartowski in the sack. He was a man, wasn't he? That wasn't the issue. The real issue was could she do it tonight? This was going to be by far her best chance in the two days before she lost the bet.

The first part of Carina's plan was by all accounts a smashing success. Even though the night had barely begun, Sarah was clearly already… well, smashed. She was far drunker than Carina had ever seen her. Sarah was definitely right about one thing earlier. She was very careful about getting drunk. It was a favorite tactic of the bad guys to try and get you drunk so that you would blow your cover. But it was also a favorite tactic of the good guys to get you drunk so that you would blow… well, something else. And Carina knew her secret. Sarah became very vulnerable to certain men when she was drunk, always had been. That's why she quickly learned to never allow herself to go that far. During the C.A.T. days she constantly made Zondra promise to watch over her and get her home alone whenever there was drinking involved. And Zondra, to her credit, had always resisted Carina's pleading to allow Sarah to go for it, and had rescued her from being an easy target more than once.

But she currently was, an easy target, that is. That much became plain when Joey was able to call her chicken a few times and egg her into misplacing her own bra. Carina was a little surprised that she would be that bold in front of Chuck. And Chuckles plainly did a double take when they returned and he saw the clear outline of her hard nipples sticking through that fairly shear shirt. He was just as plainly not all that happy with her. They already had exchanged some not so pleasant words.

Fortunately the plan called for them to be kept apart as much as possible. Joey was immediately dispatched to dance with Chuck while Carina led Sarah into tipping back three more shots of tequila in rapid secession. In fact, Carina was starting to feel the effects herself. Joey clearly didn't mind her assignment, even confessed during the 'misplacing the bras' trip, whispering into Carina's ear that she had more than a little case of the hots for him. She even semi snuggled with him on the couch a little while Sarah danced with Laura. Poor bastard was clueless, on both fronts. Carina was careful not to let Joey get too carried away. After all, it wouldn't help anything for Chuck to fuck Joey out of spite. In order to win the bet it had to be her.

That meant that phase two was a go. She had already set it up. Carina was nothing if not a meticulous planner. After all, she had spent all afternoon stuck in her bedroom instead of enjoying the sea air, fucking Donny just to talk him into doing his part. The funny thing was that Donny wasn't even her type, not even a little bit. But he was Sarah's type. That pretty bad boy style with the boyish hair and the confident smile. She could deny it all she wanted. But even drunk on her ass, Carina could see the sparkle in Sarah's eyes when, with their prearranged signal of a single nod, he surprised her by coming over and asking her to dance. And normally before she danced with another man she would have asked Chuck if it was okay. She had even asked him earlier before she danced with Josh. Not this time. She just smiled sweetly, extended her hand, and walked away with him.

And Chuck definitely noticed. Hell, he would have had to have been blind not to notice. They danced for a few minutes. But now she was standing off to the side of the dance floor with him in the shadow, laughing at something he had just said. Clearly she was incorrectly assuming that it was too dark to be seen while she allowed him to make his move. He was standing much closer to her than normally would be appropriate. In fact he more or less had her effectively pinned against the wall. Not that she was making any attempt to move. The main tip off was when she actually reached down and plainly unbuttoned one more button on her shirt. It was a plain signal that even Chuck understood.

Carina actually had to suppress a grin as she watched Donny work her. It was like taking candy from a baby. The hand that had started gently rubbing her arm as they talked had now moved to rubbing her side, going higher with every rub, getting dangerously close to the side of her mostly unprotected chest. Without Zondra to rescue her, the end game was fairly obvious. She might resist for a while but it was now not a matter of if she was going to willingly surrender her panties to Donny. The question now was would it happen in Donny's bed, or in some dark semi hidden spot on the ship.

But getting Sarah to fuck someone had always been the easy part of the plan. Carina didn't win the bet until she could talk Chuck into getting back at Sarah by fucking her. It was time to move in for the kill. So Carina shooed Joey away with a look and plopped down next to him. Chuck watched for a while in clear disgust, took a shot of tequila from the table, and tipped it back firmly. "She's actually going to fuck him, isn't she?" It was far more statement than question.

Carina looked into his eyes. She had to fight the partial urge to feel sorry for him. Yes, there would be more than a little heartbreak tonight, for both of them. But it was ultimately a good thing for their relationship. Carina would make sure of that. He had been drinking quite a bit himself. There was some pain there, but mostly it was anger. This was over. The fish had taken the bait and was firmly on the hook. All that was left was to reel him in, gut him, and devour him for dinner.

"Yup," she said with a matter of fact tone. "She is. Look at him. He is exactly her type, Chuck. He's Bryce. He's Seth. You know that I'm right. You can see it in her eyes just as plainly as I can. It happened over and over in the C.A.T. days. She could maybe resist him if she was sober. But in about five minutes, he's going to invite her to his room. And in his room she is going to turn into a wild thing, just like she always did with Bryce. She'll fuck him two, maybe three times. She'll feel bad after it's over, again just like she always did with Bryce. Then she'll start to sober up and realize what she's done. She'll run to you tomorrow, cry her eyes out, and beg you to forgive her. She'll blame it on the tequila, promise that it'll never happen again. But we know better, don't we? It's a predictable cycle. For tonight Sarah Walker belongs to him. He's her weakness. We both know it. If he moved his hand to her chest right now, she'd stand there in the open and let him feel her up. She's helpless. I'm surprised that he hasn't. He knows that he can get her to do anything he wants."

"I could go over there and kick his ass," Chuck said as he tipped back yet another shot.

"Of course you could," Carina said. "But is that really the point? You could stop her tonight. You could start a big fight, make her feel guilty, and drag her back to your room and sleep it off. I don't deny any of that. Zondra did the same thing for her tons of times. And if you did, she'd feel horrible about it tomorrow. But Sarah is a beautiful woman. She is a magnet for these pretty boy types. And they are everywhere, Chuck. Donny is not even one of the best at this. Someday, you're not going to be there when she's vulnerable. And if she is going to fuck Donny tonight, she is eventually going to fuck the guy when you're not there to stop her. Isn't that all you need to know? You're actually lucky that you finally understand who she is, who she's always been. It doesn't mean that she doesn't love you. She does in her own way. Now do yourself a favor. Stop being such a chump, accept the situation for what it is, and use it to your advantage. Nobody is being evil here, Chuck. It's just the spy way."

"You just want to win your bet with her," Chuck said. "Admit it."

"Of course," Carina said with a smile. "I'll not make any effort to deny that. But it appears to me that you can get something out of this too. Besides getting back at her, that is. Maybe you could let her know in the only language she truly understands that there are consequences for her making you stand by while she is fucking other men basically right in front of you. If you're smart, it's something that you'll be able to use against her whenever you want something for years."

Chuck considered that for a long moment. Finally his decision was plainly made. "What do I get tonight?" he asked.

"What do you want?" Carina asked as her grin turned sinister. "Besides the obvious. Trust me, Chuck. I understand that you're maybe skeptical. Not to brag but I'm very, very good at this."

"That's not good enough," Chuck said. "Do you really think that Sarah doesn't use sex with me? I get all of the sex I can handle and then some. Sarah is not going to like losing your bet. That's an understatement. I'm going to find a very cold side of the bed for more than one night. I expect that you are going to make her do some wild things that she has never done before. If this is going to happen, I get something special. I have some very specific… um, needs. Sarah has so far been rather unwilling to come through for me. If I deliver her to you on a silver platter here, you win a day of total control over her. I'd like you to use some of that control to make her unwillingness go away."

Carina was somewhat surprised that Chuck was negotiating, especially about sex. Actually very surprised… and frankly more than a little impressed. "Done," she said. "You're right. She will be doing lot's of things she's never done before. She needs to learn how much fun it can be to let go. But trust me, I have every intention of making sure that you have a very good day too. That's sort of the point. She needs to get over her hang ups. So for two of the hours, I'll make her do anything you say, put her under your total control. Now shall we get down to it?"

"Not quite yet," Chuck said. "No offense, but I really don't want to do this. It's against my better judgment. So I need to insure that the discomfort I'm going to earn comes with something that makes it worth it to me. I'm thinking I get a fantasy fulfilled. I also want you under my total control for two hours… tonight."

Carina was wrong a second ago. Now she was impressed. She was beyond surprised. Stunned was more like it, and maybe even a little aroused. Chuck so wasn't her type, but she had clearly underestimated him, didn't think he had it in him to push his advantage so far and get what he wanted. It would have been worth giving him his fantasy to win the bet anyway, but now she was dying to see what this kinky sex act was that Sarah wouldn't do. "I'll need to record enough of it to prove to Sarah that it happened," she said.

Carina noticed the concern come over his face. "Come on, Chuck," she chided. "You're taking the narrow view here. Imagine the fun you'll have watching her face when she's watching it."

Chuck's look of concern slowly turned into a smile. "I guess," he finally said. "If we're going to do this, it might as well be balls out."

Carina grinned. She absolutely loved winning bets, especially this one. It was ultimately for Sarah's own good. But she also had a special fantasy or two that Agent Walker was going to finally make come true for her. Was there anything wrong with that? "Why Chuck," she said as she stood up and extended her hand. "I don't think I could have said it any better myself."

"I do believe that we have reached a deal."

x-x-x-x-x

Carina Miller was forced to admit something to herself on the short walk to her bedroom. She had underestimated Chuck Bartowski. Or maybe being around the spy life was starting to rub off. Whatever the reason, he was a totally different person, calm, confident. And with the new haircut, he was downright sexy. Carina could feel the tingle building inside her panties. Okay, she had been drinking. That usually brought out the horns. But maybe fulfilling this fantasy of his wouldn't be such a chore after all. She was actually having a hard time keeping her hand from shaking as she set up the phone on the table to record this event for Sarah's proof.

Carina knew that she would get the most pleasure out of this if she could keep some measure of control. Maybe his fantasy could be preempted. After all, she already knew what every man's fantasy was. "I suppose we should start this night off with a bang," she said. "Laura is always bragging how good she is at blowjobs. I've been told that I'm not half bad either. Why don't you let me prove it?"

Chuck shook his head firmly. "We had a deal," he said. "I'm totally in charge for two hours. You committed to give me my biggest fantasy." He glanced at his watch. "That begins now. I expect to be treated with the proper respect."

To say that Carina was surprised didn't come close. Her excitement had just jumped about five notches. "Okay," she said with a grin. "Yes, we have a deal. Do you want me to call you Daddy? Master?"

"Sir will do," Chuck said. "I want you to look in the camera and tell Sarah how exciting it can be to be helpless, to be forced to submit."

"Yes, sir," Carina said. She turned to face the camera. "Chuck is right. I'm on fire." It wasn't an act. She was on fire.

"Strip for her," Chuck said. "Make it as sexy as you possibly can."

Carina was admittedly a little puzzled. From where Chuck was sitting, he could barely see her when she was facing the camera. But he was the boss. This was his fantasy. And honestly stripping for Sarah was hotter than doing it for Chuck would have been anyway. Tomorrow Sarah would be definitely be the one stripping for an audience for the first time. The very thought was making her knees weak. "Yes, sir," she said as she swayed to the music from the party outside that could still be faintly heard. She began by slowly unbuttoning her shirt and allowing it to slide to the floor. Even though she was trying to go slowly, she wasn't wearing that much. Quickly enough she was down to her panties.

"That's good," Chuck said. "For now anyway. I need your handcuffs."

Suddenly Carina understood why Sarah wouldn't ever do this for him. Spies were taught - you never, ever allowed a mark to cuff you. It made you helpless. "Chuck…" she began hesitantly.

"Sir?" Chuck firmly corrected. "We had a deal. If I don't get what I've been promised it's off. And yes, I get that you don't want to be totally helpless. Tough. Turn and tell Sarah how excited you are while you're putting the cuff on your left wrist. Then get on the bed."

Carina quickly decided that she had little choice. It was plain that if she didn't do this, she had just lost the bet. And maybe there was some educational value for Sarah here. So she did what he had demanded. "I'm completely helpless," she said as she snapped the cuff on her wrist and climbed unto the bed. "Both physically and figuratively. Just like you're going to be tomorrow. You're going to admit to me that you're on fire, just like I am."

Chuck had her lie down on her back and reach both arms over her head. He looped the cuffs through the headboard and snapped them in place on her other wrist. She was firmly attached. Then he pulled out a cloth. "I don't want to have to listen to your incessant jabbering," he said. "This is about my fantasy, not yours. Open wide."

Carina was more and more confused. Here she was lying on the bed naked and helpless. And he wasn't even looking at her. With any other man they would be currently fucking. What exactly did he have in mind? But she clearly didn't have a choice now. Why fight it? So she just opened her mouth as he demanded.

"Wider," Chuck said with a grin. Once she silently complied, he tied the gag firmly into place. Then he faced the camera. "Well, Sarah, I believe that I've just earned my reward," he said with a silly grin. "And yes, she was right about one thing. You're going to be on fire paying off."

After Chuck sent the video to Sarah's phone he turned to Carina, making sure to only look at her face. "Maybe you finally have figured this out," he said. "My biggest fantasy has always been to spend a fun night with my wife without you fucking with us. Thank you for making it finally come true. I seriously don't know what is going on inside that, well sick is the only word I can come up with, head of yours. But trying to turn Sarah into one of your CIA whores isn't going to happen. And even if it did, it would destroy her. You're just wrong about Sarah. You don't know her nearly as well as you think you do. She is currently playing your pretty boy just like I played you."

Chuck turned to leave. He paused a bit at the door. "Just so that we understand each other," he said. "Whatever happens to you for the rest of the night, well you have it totally coming. You're getting off incredibly easy here. Anybody who would fuck with her head looks a whole lot like an enemy to me." His anger was plainly visible.

"Do us both a big favor and stay the fuck away from me."

x-x-x-x-x


	41. And Casey Makes Three

_I still don't own Chuck._

_If you enjoyed this or any of the stories on this site, please take a second and send the author a review. It only takes a second – and it really, really makes a difference. That's probably more important than ever now that the series has ended. If you want to keep the Chuck fandom alive and continue to read about these characters, you really need to think about rewarding the people whose hard work make that possible._

**And Casey Makes Three**

x-x-x-x-x

Donny was absolutely sure that he was about to score with this incredible babe. Carina had told him that it was going to happen almost exactly like this. But it was still hard to believe. She was the hottest thing he had ever seen. While he had never heard of Sarah Walker before, he certainly had been in this position with plenty of babes. She was sending him all of the 'fuck me' signals. The way she smiled as she unbuttoned that button was telling. Just one more and he'd be able to look down and see everything. She was currently smiling at him like he was some sort of Greek God. She was putty in his hands. She made absolutely no move to stop his hand which had gradually moved higher until it was at the very edge of her simply perfect chest. His erection was making it hard to stand straight. Actually, it had been quite the day all around.

First there was the afternoon with Carina while she enlisted his help for her project. Say what you want about her, she definitely knew her way around the bedroom. It was a good move holding out for a while. She convinced him in ways that he'd only read about.

Then there was the amazing dinner and wild party on this yacht that was something right out of live styles of the rich and famous. He had never cut into a filet that was so tender and tasty.

But nothing beat this. There were four world class beautiful women on this ship. And he was soon about to have the most beautiful one on her back. Indeed, she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.

Donny was unsure about what to do next. He understood Carina's plan. After all, she had spent hours explaining it very clearly to him. He wasn't sure if they were still watching. If they were, it would probably be a nice touch to move his hand a few inches to the left and feel her up through her shirt. But then again, it would be so much better to lead her into his bedroom, unbutton and slide that shirt to the floor with the lights on, and feel her up properly… and oh so much more. He was about to grab her hand to do just that when he felt a tap on his shoulder.

"Excuse me," Chuck said with a relaxed smile. "Hi. I was wondering where you went to. Do you want to dance?"

"I'd simply love to dance," Sarah said as she slipped past a stunned Donny. Long gone was the voice of the drunk, horny sexpot. "You know how much I love to dance with you. What kept you anyway? I thought you'd never get here. I've been standing here counting the seconds waiting for you. I've really missed you tonight. In another very few minutes I think I was going to have to start pealing his hands off of some rather strategic body parts. I was starting to worry that you forgot about me."

Chuck laughed. "I could never forget about you," he said.

Sarah sided into him affectionately, placed her head on his chest and turned her face up for a brief but fairly intense kiss. "I know," she said. "It feels pretty great, huh? How'd it go?"

Chuck put on the look of total mock offense. "How'd it go?" he asked incredulously. "Don't our plans always work? They are in there with her right now. That's probably as much as I want to know."

"She's going to be so pissed," Sarah said as she laughed for a long moment. "She doesn't like to lose. And I'll bet that Laura absolutely puts her through the fucking wringer, no pun intended. If that sounds like I'm feeling sorry for her in any way, well I'm not. You were right, she is totally predictable. She had that coming. Thank you for the present."

Chuck smiled. "My pleasure," he said. "And I mean that quite literally. We're not forgetting about my reward are we?"

"We certainly are not," Sarah said as she conspicuously rubbed her chest against his. "Do you feel that? Why do you think I'm so hard? Your reward is all I've been thinking about for the past hour."

"That's good," Chuck said with a toothy grin. "Don't forget about Joey. She played her role brilliantly."

"I'm not forgetting about Joey," Sarah said, matching his grin. "But a sincere thank you is going to have to suffice for her reward." She then turned to an obviously confused Donny. "I'm sorry for all the teasing," she said. "Especially for the button. That really wasn't fair, was it? We do appreciate your help on the dock this morning. It was very brave. Your superiors can expect a formal letter of appreciation. But that really doesn't make up for the fact that you were basically a slime ball here tonight. Tell me something, does that act ever actually work with women? I was having a hard time keeping from laughing at you. The bad news is that it looks like you have a big problem that you're now going to have to deal with all by yourself in bed tonight."

Chuck couldn't keep in the laugh. It came out pretty wet.

But Sarah wasn't finished telling Donny off quite yet. "Well," she continued. "Honesty forces me to admit that I'm not really all that sorry. It just seemed like the thing to say. You actually got off easy. If you would have touched my chest like you were clearly getting close to, well things would have gotten a little more unpleasant. We have a whole day before we are going to be close to a hospital, so having a broken finger would be a major, painful inconvenience. But like Carina, you also would have had it coming."

"You clearly joined the wrong team."

x-x-x-x-x

Laura grinned as she walked into Carina's room. It was just like Chuck told her. She was lying on the bed with her hands cuffed together over her head, securely fastened to the headboard. She was naked except for the briefest pair of bikini briefs and the gag. Except for the gag, she looked fairly comfortable. Chuck was far too nice of a guy for anything else. Most guys would have taken the panties and left her completely naked. Again, Chuck was a nice guy.

Laura went and sat on the bed beside her. "It looks like you've gotten yourself into something of a pickle," she said with a grin. She held up the handcuff keys for Carina's inspection. "Do you want me to release you?"

The muffled string of, well Laura could only assume obscenities probably meant yes. The nod confirmed it.

"Okay," Laura said. "No problem. Tell me, Carina, what's in this for me?"

Clearly the question was rhetorical. There was no way to negotiate. Carina couldn't speak. She was gagged. She recognized that as well, relaxed, and just waited for Laura's terms.

Laura narrowed her eyes. "Casey told me the story of how he found himself in a very similar position once," she said calmly but with no humor in her voice. "Carina, I'll be totally honest and tell you that I'm not sure where Casey and I are going to end up. I mean, we're spies, right? Falling in love isn't part of the deal for people like us. But he's an amazing guy. I'm feeling things that honestly have me confused. I've never met anybody like him. I really, really like the feeling of being with him. And it's not the sex. Well, it's not totally the sex."

Laura paused for a moment to allow that to sink in. "I have to tell you. Casey's story really pissed me off, so much that you're lucky this opportunity didn't happen a week ago. It wouldn't have gone well for you. If you didn't want to fuck him, well, that's your perfect right. I can understand that. I can even understand treating a mark like that under the right conditions. But leaving a fellow spy in a helpless situation like you did… it wasn't right. It crossed the line. It needlessly humiliated him in front of his team. It was even potentially dangerous, could have cost him his life. By the way, you really, really missed out when you left without fucking him. He is amazing in bed, the best I've ever had."

Carina just relaxed and allowed her to get to the point.

"So here's the bottom line," Laura continued. "You need some serious punishment. Normally I would leave you secured, slide those panties that honestly aren't doing much anyway down your legs, and give you to my new boyfriend for his amusement. That might even be justice. But I find myself surprisingly jealous thinking about you fucking him. I'm not totally sure why. In fact it scares me a little. But I am. It would simply be a defense mechanism trying to deny it. So the only way this is going to happen is for me to join you. I'll be honest. Except for pretending with Chuck and Joey last night, I've never been in a threesome before. That's probably unusual for someone who has been a spy for as long as I have. In fact my experience with other women is also very limited. But I'll release you if you give me the same deal that you wanted from Sarah. For the rest of the night, I get total control. Casey's too nice of a guy. He would never demand the things that I will on his behalf. I can't pretend that I'll give you any new experiences. I doubt there is much in bed that you haven't done at least once. But our slate will be clean. So do we have a deal?"

Carina shook her head defiantly.

"Totally your call," Laura said as she got up. "You'll probably eventually get a better deal when one of the guys find you. See you around… maybe."

Laura was almost to the door when she heard the muffled sound. When she turned Carina had obviously thought about her alternatives and was convinced that she wasn't bluffing. She nodded slowly.

"Understand something," Laura said, taking a couple of steps back into the room. "I'm not fucking around here. Chuck made me promise not to go too far in proving my point. But in my mind you are getting off far too easy. If this was up to me, you would have a very long night of making sure that multiple people were very entertained. So if I have to settle, I want this to be a spy's present for my new guy. This night is going to be in every detail all about him. If I get any pleasure out of it, it's going to be a byproduct of you and me performing for his entertainment. If you get any pleasure, well I'm afraid that it's going to have to be the joy of service and the satisfaction of a job well done."

Laura paused for a moment to allow that to sink in. "He is understandably a little pissed at you," she finally continued. "So my first directive is going to call for you to calm him down a little. I want some serious groveling as you spend some quality time creatively convincing him that you're incredibly sorry and willing to do anything to prove it. I'll play things by ear from there. I expect you to treat this with the same respect that you would any assignment. I want your total submission when it's called for and your total enthusiasm when it's called for. I expect your very best physical effort in any and every detail. If I don't get it, I can think of some very entertaining activities to punish you. If you really piss me off… Carina, I make a really bad enemy. If it comes to that I can be a serious bitch when I need to be. Understood?"

Carina paused for a moment. She knew that Laura wasn't kidding a single bit. They had only worked together for a couple of quick hits, but Carina knew her reputation very well. She was one of the very best. Maybe she was a notch below Sarah on the pecking order, but who wasn't? So she knew that if she agreed to her clearly stated terms, she'd have to come through. So she paused for a long moment before she reluctantly nodded.

"By the way," Laura said as she opened the door. "Let's get something on the table. I get that you're not trying to break them up or take advantage of her. You're trying to look out for her. As understandably pissed at you as they are right now, deep down they get it too. You're just wrong about Chuck and Sarah. It's an honest mistake. It's what I thought at first too. In fact a month ago, I would have bet on you. I may have even helped you. But Sarah is no longer a spy. She is Chuck's wife. That's how she sees herself. In fact, if anything, we're going to have to look out for her in the field. She's not thinking like a spy. That might make her vulnerable. If you really love her, like I know that you do, like I do, then you'll back off and be happy for her. She's honestly happy for the first time in her life."

Carina paused for a long moment before nodding again.

"Good," Laura said with a smile. "This is all for Casey. But I might actually surprise myself and have a good time tonight. I'm going to relax and make myself try. I'd be lying if I said that this wasn't exciting for me at some level. I'm going to give you an opportunity to impress me. I'm looking forward to it. You?"

This time Carina's nod was much quicker and there was a definite sparkle in her eyes.

"I'll go get him."

x-x-x-x-x

At first, Sarah thought that Chuck was just kidding about dancing. But he clearly wasn't. He knew full well how much she loved to dance. But it was also obvious that Sarah currently had some other favorite activity in mind. So after going through the motions for a couple of songs, Sarah wrapped her arms around his neck. "I think we're done here," she said.

"Are you sure?" Chuck asked. "I know how much you love to dance. It's okay. I can wait for my reward."

"Well I can't," Sarah said softly, putting her mouth close to his ear to be heard over the loud music. "I simply love to dance. I'll not try and deny that. It's one of the favorite things in my life. When I was a spy it was pretty much my only chance to escape for a few hours. It was the only place where I could truly let my hair down. A month ago it would have been my very favorite thing. But now my favorite thing is being in the bedroom with you watching the funny expressions you put on your face while I'm making you… um… forget your own name. My second favorite thing is when you're making me forget my own name. It's practically all I ever think about. If I have to choose between dancing and dragging you into the bedroom and making love until we're both too exhausted to move, I'm choosing the latter ever single time. Tell me, Chuck. I'm not trying to start anything, but when are you going to start believing that?"

Chuck paused for a long moment. "I sure don't want to start anything either," he finally said hesitantly. "We're having such a nice moment. I'm looking forward to the bedroom just as much as you are. I understand how this is going to sound. I'm really not trying to sound jealous. But can you tell me how Carina was so sure that you would so eagerly fuck some stranger in front of me once you were drunk?"

Sarah pulled back from the embrace a little to grin at him. "It's not anything like you're thinking," she said. "It's more like an inside joke. In the C.A.T. days the other three girls were pretty… well, I think you can imagine. They were always on me to join them at the hottest club in whatever city we found ourselves in. Of course they were all looking for the hot guy of the night to go home with. Well that wasn't me. But since I love to dance and the alternative was sitting alone in my hotel room, I joined them more often than not. You know me. It really doesn't matter who I'm dancing with. I'm pretty much in my own world. As you can guess, I usually didn't have any problem finding a dance partner. Guys were always coming over. And if they weren't too obnoxious trying to look down my shirt I usually danced with them. And you know Carina. She was constantly trying to hook me up with any man who showed the slightest bit of interest hoping I'd eventually go home with one."

"I'll bet she had a lot of candidates," Chuck sighed.

Sarah's grin was still in full force. "You're right, sweetie," she said. "In those pickup clubs she had a steady stream of candidates who were willing to take me home and have their way with me. She was positively obsessed with it, kept telling me that it would change my life. So Zondra finally noticed and came to me with a plan to fuck with Carina's head. I think that you might actually like Zondra. Fucking with Carina is still one of her favorite things."

"When do I get to meet this Zondra?" Chuck asked with the smile plain in his voice. "You're right. I like her already."

Sarah started laughing. "I knew it," she said. "Fair warning, Zondra is every bit as wild in her own way as Carina. Anyway, her plan was pretty simple. I would get the girls together and in a very rare introspective moment confess to them that I feared that I was vulnerable to certain men when I was drinking. I made Zondra promise to protect me if it looked like I was helpless. Zondra knew that would drive Carina up the wall crazy. And she was right. Carina spent months begging Zondra to just let it happen, just once. So Zondra played it up. She had a blast teasing her, told her that I had a specific type that I couldn't resist. Carina killed herself looking for that type night after night and bringing them over to me. Sometimes when the man turned out to be particularly obnoxious I would give Zondra the signal, act a little drunk, and allow him to think that he maybe had a shot. I'm not very proud of that part. But it was all an act. Zondra would make a big show out of stepping in at the last second, rescuing my honor, and enjoying the frustration she was giving Carina. And that's why Carina still thinks that it's true."

Chuck was visibly relieved. "Okay," he said. "Now I really want to meet this Zondra. I know that I sounded jealous. I also know that we're past that. I'm sorry."

That got an even bigger grin. "Why would you be sorry?" she asked. "I'm hoping that you never totally get over being a little jealous. It's cute, just as long as it doesn't get in the way. I have the same deal. And we are past that. You just proved that rather convincingly. Chuck, your play of Carina just now represented exactly your worst fear. I can only imagine what she was telling you. I get that was hard for you to hear, probably dredged up some thoughts that weren't all that pleasant. But you set that fear aside… for me. You sat there and listened to her tell you things that played right into your fear, and you didn't bat an eye. You played this trained agent right into willingly putting the cuffs on her own wrists. That alone is going to have her face red for a week. It is so impressive that I'm having a hard time even talking about it without bawling right here on the dance floor. You don't have to feel bad for wanting to know about my past. I'll never try and withhold anything from you. In fact, you're not the only one who can be a little jealous. I'm sure it will come up soon enough. Now tell me exactly what she said to you."

Chuck smiled. "She told me that you were vulnerable with the pretty boys," he said. "She said that sober you might stand a chance, but drunk you were helpless. She said you'd be a wild thing in his room. But that after was it over, you'd feel horrible about it. She said that was always how it was with Bryce."

Sarah's grin faded considerably. She wasn't thinking that Carina would bring up Bryce. That was a little more complicated. Bryce wasn't an act. She knew that Chuck was dying to know some details about her intimate moments with him… and yet dreading it at the same time. And she also knew he wouldn't ask. Instead he'd suffer in silence. It was sweet. "Here's the deal," she finally said. "She's actually mostly right about Bryce. I've always been trying to be sensitive to not rubbing your face in our sex life, but this is one of those things you want me to tell you about so you won't have to imagine the worst, right?"

Chuck nodded… warily.

"Okay," Sarah said. "You absolutely deserve to hear it once without the sugar coating. I'm not going to pretend that Bryce and I never had a tender moment. It didn't happen very often, but we did. There were even a couple of times when I initiated the sex because I wanted to feel closer to him hoping that would move our relationship forward. We went to Cabo San Lucas for a long weekend once. It was the first time we'd ever been together outside of a mission. I'd be lying if I said that I didn't have fun with him on that trip. And maybe at the time I even hoped that it might be the start of us moving to the next level. But that didn't work out at all. At first I spent some sleepless nights wondering why. But then it hit me. We were partners who used each other for support in a tough, lonely situation, nothing more. It was the spy analogy to a relationship. There was no next level for us to move to and never would be. Bryce wasn't who I was looking for. And Bryce wasn't even looking."

Chuck smiled. "I know about Cabo," he said. "The pictures are still on your phone."

Sarah's face turned pretty red and yet lost a lot of its color at the same time. "I guess you're right," she finally said softly as she tried hard to blink away the tears that were forming. "I forgot that they are there. I'm so sorry. Chuck, trust me. It's sure not because of any residual feelings that I might have for Bryce. It was just a fun vacation for me. I never got times like that. It's never occurred to me how keeping those pictures on my phone might look to you. It's exactly one of those stupid incredibly insensitive things that we talked about this afternoon, the things that make me an inadequate wife at best and an unworthy bitch at worst. As soon as we're back in the room I want you to delete them."

"Sarah, you don't have to…"

"No," Sarah insisted. "Don't you dare tell me that I don't have to delete the pictures of me hugging my ex on an exotic vacation. I'm feeling horrible enough already. All I need is you twisting the knife by being all sweet about it. On second thought we'll delete them together. That weekend is no longer high on my list anyway. You and I just had a better time dancing than I ever did in Cabo. In fact all of the high points of my life have happened with you. It's time that I started acting like it, like a wife who is looking out for her husband."

"See," Chuck said. "This is exactly what we talked about. Okay, I get that you think that you should have deleted those pictures once we were together. Maybe you're right. But Sarah, the second you realized it, you immediately fixed it. I don't want you to feel horrible about something like that. You maybe don't have a wife's instincts… yet. But you certainly weren't doing anything on purpose. I get that."

"Okay," Sarah finally said, clearly trying to change the subject. "Anyway we're getting off track. You wanted to know about the sex. The vast majority of it was after some dangerous event on a mission. It was pure adrenalin, ripping clothes off in the dark, raw unfeeling animal lust, hard and fast fucking. I quickly learned that if I wanted anything from the experience, I was responsible to make it happen. That's as much as I honestly remember. When it was quickly over, I usually did feel guilty about it. It was unprofessional. Even worse, I felt uncomfortable. I felt naked, empty, like I was missing out on something important. He was just using me to get off. The worst times were when he would ask me for 'things'. Those were the times when I couldn't pretend we were anything else. But the honest truth is that I was just using him too. The good news is that we mostly basically got along. And professionally we clicked. We were very effective in the field. And since I was all about the missions at that time, that was enough to carry me over. There was a long time when I even thought that Bryce was the best I could hope for. Then I got this nothing assignment to baby sit this nerd who worked in a Buy More… and I quickly found out what true love is. Chuck, whatever sex I ever had with Bryce couldn't possibly be farther away from when you and I make love."

Chuck held her for a long moment. "Thank you," he said. "That really helped me. It is exactly what I want to hear. I know that was hard."

Sarah grabbed Chuck's hand and led him off the dance floor. "It actually wasn't that hard," she said. "It was nice. It was the kind of thing that a wife does for a husband, especially one she honestly adores."

They stopped for a second to see Joey who was taking a break from pretty much continuous dancing herself. Josh was clearly also grateful since he was sitting there helplessly panting for breath.

"Thanks for your help, rookie," Sarah said softly as she hugged her affectionately. "Giving me water shots instead of real tequila was a life saver. There are things that we do for each other because we're partners. That was something that you only do for a friend."

Joey was clearly moved at such a show of affection from her mentor, and now officially her friend. So all she could do was to hold on and nod for a long moment. "Can I ask you for a favor?" she finally asked.

"Of course," Sarah replied. "What can I do for you?"

Joey paused for a long moment. "Could you maybe stop calling me rookie?"

Sarah's grin turned evil. "Okay," she said. "You're right. You've earned it… Josephine."

As soon as Sarah stepped back to playfully fully view the horror on Joey's face, Chuck stepped up and hugged her as well. "She's just teasing you," he whispered into her ear. Then he actually took a step back, reached over, and buttoned up a button on her blouse. "I wasn't going to try and tell you how to conduct yourself," he said with a grin. "Feel free to unbutton it again. But I realized… I am your daddy, sort of for tonight anyway."

That got them all laughing helplessly.

"Okay, Daddy," Sarah was finally able to get out. "It's time to take me to bed."

x-x-x-x-x


	42. The Back of the Boat

_I still don't own Chuck._

_If you enjoyed this or any of the stories on this site, please take a second and send the author a review. It only takes a second – and it really, really makes a difference. That's probably more important than ever now that the series has ended. If you want to keep the Chuck fandom alive and continue to read about these characters, you really need to think about rewarding the people whose hard work make that possible._

**The Back of the Boat**

x-x-x-x-x

Laura and Casey were cuddled together in bed. If either smoked, it would be the point in the evening where a shared cigarette might come into play. Actually it was still Carina's room and hence her bed. But she had been excused from her obligations for the duration… back out to the party to torment poor Joey after only a few rounds of actual sex. Carina didn't have to be told twice. She couldn't have possibly gotten out of that room any faster.

Laura certainly had Carina perform enough tasks to fully prove her point. Casey was conclusively able to say that he was fully entertained, and had gotten his sweet revenge… Laura was able to say that she now had participated in a threesome, and more important knew what it was like to be with another woman, from the fun side for once. Her main purpose was to give Casey an erotic show that would quickly inspire round two. And it certainly fulfilled that objective. But she also would have been a little less than truthful if she tried to say that she didn't enjoy Carina's effort at some level. It would be hard to deny the moans and her hands pressing firmly on the top of Carina's head later when Casey inevitably started teasing her about how loud her orgasm was. Carina clearly had done this before a time or two. She immediately assumed the submissive role, smiled sweetly and got busy. She clearly knew every spot to drive Laura crazy, honestly seemed to enjoy proving it, and knew just what they wanted… from both a spectator and participant point of view.

But it was odd. After the first few exciting minutes both Casey and Laura quickly found that Carina ultimately got in the way of their passion far more than she helped stoke it. Their sex had always been nothing short of spectacular. They had already learned what each other wanted and when. Another set of lips and hands in the equation were simply one too many. Both were actually happy to see her go. The last round, after she left, was by far the hottest.

Neither of them wanted to take the edge off that amazing afterglow anytime soon. Finally Laura spoke. "What are we going to do?" she asked.

Casey smiled. "Whatever it is, it's going to have to wait for a half hour," he said. "I'm not a machine."

Laura smiled right back. "Two things," she said. "First, I have ten bucks that say I could get you back in the saddle in ten minutes if I wanted too. But second, I was thinking in slightly larger terms. I'm not sure that I can work for Beckman any longer. But I'm not sure that I'm ready to quit either."

"I don't think it's going to be an issue," Casey said. "Going after Alexi Volkoff is a suicide mission. We won't be working for anybody, except the worms."

Laura made no attempt to hide the laugh. That was one thing that she loved about Casey. And yes, she was fully aware that she said loved. He could make her laugh. He wasn't funny like Chuck maybe. His sense of humor was much darker and sarcastic. But he was funny. Seth was only funny in a pathetic way, when he wasn't trying to be funny. "I wouldn't bet against us," she said softly.

Casey must have finally realized that she was being serious. "I know," he said. "Me either. Are you up for working directly with Bartowski? It's something of a challenge."

"I think so," she said. "We have something of a connection."

"Careful," Casey warned. "Sarah isn't going to tolerate much of a connection before she makes a connection between her left foot and your jaw."

Laura laughed. "It's not that kind of connection. Chuck doesn't even see me as a woman. And for what it's worth, Sarah has grown. She is letting a lot of that go. She is still insanely protective of him. But the jealous thing… not so much."

"Stupid bastard," Casey said as he grabbed her and rolled her over. "Doesn't see you as a woman? He doesn't have a clue what he's missing." His smile took a decidedly evil turn. "Maybe you should work with Carina more often," he said with a smirk. "It sounded like you might enjoy that."

Laura grinned. It was so predicable that he would tease her about that. So she was ready for him. "You sound jealous," she said with her own evil grin. "Maybe you want to prove that you're better at it. I'll give you an honest chance. But she was pretty amazing. It would take your best effort."

"It looks like this is your lucky day," Casey said. "I do want to prove that I'm better."

"And you just won ten bucks."

x-x-x-x-x

As soon as they were done hugging Joey, Sarah again grabbed Chuck's hand and led him away. Clearly she was heading for the bedroom. But he pulled her past the door.

"I want to delete those pictures," Sarah protested.

"Would you stop worrying about the stupid pictures?" Chuck said with a smile. "I want to show you something first. Besides, in your mind you've already deleted them. That's all that matters." They walked to the back of the ship and found a nice padded bench to sit on. "Look," he said as they quickly snuggled.

In the total dark, the billions and untold billions of stars lit up the night sky. "Have you ever seen anything so beautiful?" Sarah asked in awe.

"Every morning," Chuck said. "When I wake up next to you."

This was one of those times that melted her heart. From another man, in another place, that would have been a line designed to separate Sarah from her panties. She had heard similar things from plenty of men in her time, all of them thinking they were being smooth, all totally confident that they had just insured her panties were going to hit the floor sometime soon. What those men never seemed to realize was that a smooth seduction line was exactly the wrong approach to take if a conquest of Sarah Walker was your goal. It disgusted her, invariably cut short whatever small amount of time she was willing to invest in conversation with them in the first place.

But Chuck was totally different from those other men. With Chuck that wasn't a line, not even a little bit. It wasn't recited for any effect. He was being totally genuine. It was sweet beyond description. Of course he didn't need any help in getting her panties on the floor tonight. She was as on fire as she had ever been in her life. But it was still sweet, just another reminder of how he felt about her. "You're really trying to get me naked right here, aren't you?" Sarah asked softly just before their lips met. As soon as the long kiss broke she put her head on his shoulder. "I'm going to say something to you," she said. "And I'm going to try and say this without bawling. So I would appreciate it if you would let me get through it without interruption."

Chuck could see that she was serious. He just nodded.

"I'm so proud of you," she said. "I've already told you that. But it's even more. Most people fall in love, and in the exciting newness everything seems perfect. Then over time when that excitement wears off, they find the little faults they had previously overlooked and before they realize it they have drifted apart a little. With us, it's the opposite. The more I get to know you, I find the little things that I had missed in the initial excitement and the more I find myself falling even harder. I can honestly say that I'm more excited now about spending my life with you than I was when we first got together. If you would have told me back then that I would fall harder, I wouldn't have believed it was possible. But you keep doing things to constantly prove to me how lucky I am. Tonight was your biggest fear. I get that. You totally set it aside. And you did it for one reason, to do something special for me. Thank you, sweetie."

"You're welcome," Chuck said. "But it wasn't all that hard. I wasn't jealous at all. I knew that you were playing him the whole time. I guess we're really growing."

Sarah smiled. She took one of Chuck's hands and wordless slid it into her now mostly open shirt. "We are growing," she said. Then she slid her own hand up Chuck's leg. "You especially. I can sure feel it."

"Very funny," Chuck said. "I think I can see where this is headed. Are you sure you want to do this here? Somebody might come."

"I'm sure," Sarah said. "Carina and Laura are busy. If anybody else does see us, they could probably use the pointers anyway. Besides, can you possibly imagine a more romantic setting? Making love under a billion stars. Are you comfortable?"

"We've really grown," Chuck said. "Right?"

"We've really grown," Sarah agreed. "You were right. Beckman can't hurt us. She doesn't have that power and never will. I'm sorry that I freaked out."

"No problem," Chuck said. "We have a tough job coming up. But we'll get through it, just like we always do. Maybe next time I'll be the one to freak out."

Sarah stood to stand in front of him and made an obvious show out of unbuttoning her shirt. Her smile turned a little sinister. "Now it's official," she said as allowed it slide off her shoulders and to the floor. "Carina was the last one. You've now seen Joey, Laura, and Carina naked. Which one did you like best?"

Chuck clearly didn't want to have this discussion. "Do we really have to talk about this?" he basically whined.

"I'm not trying to trap you," Sarah said. "I promise. This isn't a jealous wife thing. I'm just a little curious. Come on, Chuck. Please don't try and tell me that you haven't noticed they are beautiful women. We're all grown up. Certainly we can have this honest discussion, can't we? Laura has the biggest chest. But Joey is perky."

"Now see, here is my problem," Chuck said, maybe a little more forcefully than he intended. "I just can't look at a woman and judge her body parts like she's a computer. This one has a faster processor. This one has more memory. That's not who I am. For a woman to be attractive to me, I'd have to get to know her. There is no way that Carina will ever be anything but a total skank to me, no matter how many other men drool over her. Laura I consider a friend. I'm glad that you have her. But I also could never see myself with her. I really like Joey. I'm starting to get really protective of her. But I also am uncomfortable talking about her naked. I never want you to mistake, even for a second, being her friend and partner with me wanting something more. I don't know how to make you understand this. You are the most beautiful woman in the world. I'm not forcing myself to not look at those other women out of some sense of loyalty. Yes, I get that all three are beautiful. I imagine that's sort of a key prerequisite for becoming a CIA Agent in the first place. But standing next to you they look plain."

"I'm sorry," Sarah said as she stepped out of the pants that were bunched around her ankles. "Please don't be mad at me. I didn't mean to spoil such a wonderful moment. Bryce would be looking for ways to me to help him see them naked again as soon as possible. It's just the way he's wired. I keep forgetting that you're not like Bryce in any detail. Keep reminding me, okay?"

Chuck's eyes narrowed. "So," he said with a bit of an edge. "Your turn. What men are you attracted too?"

Sarah was down to her panties in what she was hoping would be the beginning of Chuck's reward, but as soon as she recognized his tone she threw herself on his lap. "I'm such an idiot," she said. "I took the most romantic setting I've ever been in with the only man I've ever loved and totally fucked it up. I wasn't trying to start anything. I'm not accusing you of being attracted to other women. I'm not. I get what you're saying. I was just making conversation. Like if you were the judge in a nude beauty contest, who would win? Can we please forget I said anything? Please?"

"Laura would win," Chuck finally said with the beginning of a smile. "Will that end this? Oh, right after you tell me which man would win your contest."

Sarah was visibly relieved that he was clearly over being annoyed with her. It was her least favorite thing. "I'm going to surprise you," she said. "I think Devon would win. But I totally get your point about not being attracted to him. I love Devon. He's good for Ellie. But he's kind of a flake, isn't he?"

"Not fair," Chuck said. "You made me judge them naked. I'm assuming that you've not seen Devon naked. Who would win of the spy men you've ever saw naked?"

Even in the dark Chuck could see the color drain from her face. "I'm teasing you," he finally admitted.

Sarah put her hand over her heart. "I should be really pissed at you right now," she said. "But I'm so relieved. I honestly haven't seen very many men naked. Now can we please end this?"

"Right after you admit something to me," Chuck said. "In a little over a day, Laura and I are going under cover as something of a couple. That bothers you at some level."

Sarah just snuggled into him for a long, long moment. "Okay," she finally said. "I feel horrible about feeling that way. I do trust you."

"There is no reason to feel bad," Chuck said. "It should bother you. It's perfectly okay to admit that. If you and another man had to go under cover as a couple, it would sure as hell bother me. You don't have to make up some bullshit Miss Nude Spy contest to cover your feelings. Tell me about them, sit back, and watch me work overtime to reassure you, to constantly make sure that you're okay."

"Thank you," Sarah said softly as she squeezed him tight. "You're right. I'm going to need the overtime. I'm sorry. I understand that I shouldn't… but I do."

"No need to be sorry," Chuck said. "That's what I'm here for."

Sarah knew that their relationship had just experienced another growth spurt. It was time to prove it. So she broke their embrace and stood up. "You're not the only one who needs to put in some overtime," she said. "That's exactly what I've been trying to tell you today. That's exactly the sort of thing that I should have been doing and have consistently dropped the ball. I'm going to stop feeling bad about it, that doesn't do any good. I'm just going to do a lot, lot better. I'm going to start tonight, and I'm going to start with sex."

Sarah stopped his smart remark with a look. "I know," she said as she grinned. "What's changed, right? Well here's what's changed. I've been going about this the wrong way. I get that now. I've been asking you to go outside of your comfort zone and ask me for wild things. That was unfair of me. You're uncomfortable doing that. So now I'm just going to take charge, do what it takes to reassure you, and think of various ways to constantly seduce you. That's what I'm here for."

That got the grin she had been desperately looking for. "So let me get this straight," Chuck said. "You're taking charge of our sex life?"

Sarah matched his grin. "Good," she said playfully. "So you do understand. You can still ask for anything you want. I'll make sure that you'll get it. You can take control back anytime you want. But, yes, I'm taking charge. Any questions?"

Chuck started laughing. "Do I have to call you master?"

Sarah pretended to consider the question for a moment. "No," she said. "For one thing it would be mistress. But that's over the top, don't you think? As long as when we're being wild, you obey my every command… I do think for my first command we can change places and you can slowly strip for my amusement like I just did for you. That's fair."

Chuck was still laughing. But he didn't question her. He just stood and wordlessly pulled his t-shirt over his head.

Sarah took Chuck's seat, settled in for the show, and playfully waived for him to continue. "We're going to have to work on your striptease moves," she said with a grin. "But I do have to admit, you're naked. I suppose that's the main thing. I think that you're going to like me being in charge. I know the things you like the best anyway."

"You do?"

"Uh huh," Sarah said. "It's time that I proved it." She patted the seat next to her until he got the hint and sat. "I told you about the dream that I had last night," she said as she slid off the bench and to the deck. "Joey was actually doing this in my dream. Laura said she was fairly good at it… for a rookie."

After a few moments, Sarah paused to look up at him. "Charles Irving Bartowski," she said in mock frustration. "Don't you dare give me that guilty expression. We both know that this is what you would ask for if you weren't so damn shy about it. But since you won't ask for it… Your assignment is to clear your mind, allow your wife her very favorite thing in the world, and see how long we can make this last. That's an order."

Once Sarah resumed her efforts, she rather quickly had him close to the edge. After a few more moments, she paused again. "That's better," she said with a grin. "As long as we're having this conversation, just for a point of future reference, I want to get something on the table. I seriously doubt that this will ever come up. But Laura is always bragging how good she is at this. Seems like an odd thing to brag about. My experience in this activity is very limited. Now that I'm in charge, expect this to happen a lot more often, just one of the perks I get for taking charge."

Sarah found that she rather quickly had to pause again. "See how much fun it can be to follow orders?" she asked with her relaxed grin. "I don't think I've ever seen you quite like this. Just for the record, Laura and I are pretty competitive. I'm certainly not asking you to try and ever make any comparisons. And we've never had a contest or anything, so there's no way to know for sure. So maybe she is better right now."

"But I intend on putting in my fair share of practice."

x-x-x-x-x

Chuck and Sarah were cuddled together on that same bench sleeping when the sun came peeking up out of the Atlantic Ocean. Frankly, the warmth of their bodies felt good against the cool, early morning air. But that's not the only thing that felt good. It felt so good to feel this close to someone, so close that it was almost as if you were one person. Sarah just sat there half awake soaking the amazing feeling in. She seriously couldn't tell where she ended and he began. And really, it no longer mattered.

When she finally decided to open her eyes, the first thing she noticed was Carina sitting on the chair across from them. She was covered by a blanket keeping her warm, so Sarah couldn't tell her state of dress. "Hey," she said. "How long have you been sitting there watching us?"

Carina ignored the question. "Do you think we could talk?" she asked. Sarah couldn't tell the tone of her voice. It didn't sound angry. That was a good thing. When Carina was angry she was… well, angry.

Chuck also picked that moment to pop awake, realize that Carina was there, and also realize that he was naked. Sarah was trying her best to shield him from her, at least the strategic parts. But that proved futile. So he just stood up calmly, turned to Sarah as he grabbed his sweatpants from the floor, and made no effort to cover himself as he slid them on commando style. "I have a headache," he said. "I haven't been able to shake it all day. I'm going to lie down in a real bed for a while and see if I can sleep it off."

Responding to Sarah's concerned look, he smiled. "It's just a headache," he said to reassure her. "It's probably not a brain tumor." He leaned in for a quick kiss and was gone down the hall.

"So," Sarah said. "Are you going to tell me how long you've been watching, or not?"

"A while," Carina answered with the beginning of a smile. "How many rounds is he usually up for in a single night? He's either a better performer than I anticipated… or you're really easy to make moan." She moved to the bench where Sarah was sitting and wrapped the blanket around both of them. "Damn, it's chilly out here," she said.

Sarah stiffened for a moment. Since they were both naked, she could definitely feel Carina's breast brush against hers. But with Chuck gone, it was pretty chilly. "You're not making a move on me are you?" she asked playfully. "I am naked. But after the four times with Chuck last night, I'm currently pretty much sexed out. Bad timing."

"No," Carina teased right back. "Laura already used up my girl-on-girl quota for this month. I just don't want to see you get cold."

So Sarah relaxed and allowed Carina to snuggle into her. She had to admit that the warmth felt good. "So," she said, still in her teasing tone. "You finally got to watch me fuck someone. Was it everything that you imagined? Are you going to critique our performance? Maybe give me some pointers?"

Carina grinned. "It was a nice show," she admitted, still clearly teasing. "I had a bit of frustration going on after my 'date' with Casey and Laura. So I hope that you don't mind if I and my right hand joined you in spirit." Then she got a little serious. "No pointers will be necessary," she said so softly that Sarah had to strain to hear her. "For one thing, it looked like you two were doing everything right. I've never seen two people working so hard to make the other happy. It was… nice. So I just wanted to tell you that I'm sorry. I misjudged you. I misjudged Chuck. You're happy. And if you're happy, then I'm happy."

Sarah felt her whole body relax in relief. Carina was one of her very few true friends. They looked out for each other. So she put her arm around her and pulled her close. "Thanks," she said softly. "And you can forget telling me about Morocco. I find that I no longer care. You officially have my permission to stop feeling guilty about it. Whatever happened there between you and Bryce simply isn't important to me any more."

"Thanks," Carina said in honest appreciation. "I want you to be careful. You're no longer a spy. It's a dangerous world… for a housewife."

That got them both laughing. "I know," Sarah said. She squeezed Carina tightly and pulled her even closer. "Thanks for looking out for me."

Carina rested her head on Sarah's shoulder affectionately. "I've underestimated him," she said sadly. "On several levels. Will he let me tell him that I'm sorry?"

Sarah laughed. "Maybe someday," she said. "I think for right now it's best if I tell him. Don't worry. He doesn't hold a grudge very long. And as far as you underestimating him, well everyone does."

"Get in line."

x-x-x-x-x


	43. The Last Elder

_I still don't own Chuck._

_If you enjoyed this or any of the stories on this site, please take a second and send the author a review. It only takes a second – and it really, really makes a difference. That's probably more important than ever now that the series has ended. If you want to keep the Chuck fandom alive and continue to read about these characters, you really need to think about rewarding the people whose hard work make that possible._

**The Last Elder**

x-x-x-x-x

Jennifer Bowles was sitting in her office, letting the panic fully set in. She had pissed Alexi off. That was never a good thing, easy to do, but never good. And now there was only one way out. She had to find Bryce Larkin. Then all would be quickly forgiven. She thought it would be easy. With all of the resources that Fulcrum could bring to bear, how could one man stay hidden? Especially one as visible as the human Intersect. He was constantly popping up all over the world fucking up their plans.

Except her problem was that none of the other Elders were returning her messages. Of course they very rarely communicated, and never openly. It wasn't like you could pick up the phone and chat. They jealously guarded their identities. After all the CIA was a sneaky lot.

It wasn't all that unusual for one of the messages sent through their back channels to take a few days to be received and replied to, but to not get a response from any of the five? That was a little concerning.

And then there was this Mary Bartowski bitch. That's all she needed right now, to have to deal with her. To say that they didn't get along was a huge understatement. She clearly still held a huge grudge, would love to see her fall. And if she could get revenge for that little incident in Paris, she would take great pleasure, and that was quite literal, in going for it.

She was so wrapped up in her gloomy thoughts that for a moment she didn't realize that a man had just burst into her office through the loud protests of Ellen, her secretary. Finally she recognized him, so she calmed Ellen with a smile and nod. "Charles Carmichael," she finally said. "It's nice to see you again. What are you doing here?"

Chuck looked around the office suspiciously. "Are you okay?" he asked breathlessly.

Bowles was confused by the question. She just nodded.

"I don't have time to explain, ma'am," Chuck quickly said. "You're in great danger. The CIA is closing in. I'm afraid that you're going to have to come with me, no questions asked, if you want to escape."

"We have to hurry."

x-x-x-x-x

Joan was in her very favorite position, lying with her head on her guy's chest. The last few days had been basically a blur. They had been working so hard on the governor that they hadn't wanted to take much time to eat or sleep. In fact her stomach was growling non stop right now. And whatever amount of time they had budgeted for the bedroom, well, sleep suddenly became less of a priority. She was hungry and exhausted.

So naturally Joan had come to the only possible, virtually irrefutable conclusion. She had just spent the best few days of her life. It wasn't even close. The guys at the office would have looked at what they were doing and immediately said she was a slave driver. That was the office nickname that nobody would ever dare call her to her face. But this didn't feel anything like work. Steven was clearly having as much fun as she was.

And the sex. Oh my God, the sex. It was unbelievably amazing. The first few times had been simply incredible. But now it had gotten even better. They clearly both were learning what the other liked best, and just as clearly were both motivated to deliver it.

Joan had almost forgotten what it felt like to wear clothes. They were either naked cuddled together in front of the computer… working, or naked together in the shower… playfully exploring each other, or naked together in bed… well you do the math. It was the perfect arrangement. The only down side was that she was getting a little tired of eating pizza. But since it was the only thing they delivered, she sure was willing to live with it to avoid getting dressed and going out to pick something else up. And besides, there was that fun look she got from the delivery guy whenever she would answer the door wrapped in only that sheet. If he only knew.

Fortunately she had so much vacation time accrued that she wouldn't have to go back to the office for a year if she chose. She was honestly beginning to lose track of days and nights. They were mashed together in one huge blur of pure happiness.

Even better, she now had an official title. And as fiancé, she had standing to ask the questions nobody else could. She had heard all of the rumors. They couldn't possibly be true. So as soon as she saw his eyes open… Well who are we kidding? The first thing she did was to reach up and kiss him lovingly. But as soon as that was over, she pulled back a little. "Tell me a little about this Orion," she said softly. "You say that he was a different person. How?"

Steven smiled back. "You would have liked Orion," he said. "He is even geekier than Steven."

"The legend is that he's a ghost," Joan replied with a silly grin. "Magical almost." That didn't come close to the rumors told in the lunch room. They couldn't possibly all be true. Joan had always written them off as urban legend, sort of like the boogey man… only good.

Steven got a little more serious. "Maybe," he said. "But if your technology is advanced enough, it is indistinguishable from magic."

Joan instantly understood what he meant. If you could go back five hundred years and show them a flashlight, they would think you were magical. They might even burn you at the stake. "You're going to show your new wife all of this technology, right?" she asked playfully. "Orion was a force for good. He was good magic."

To his credit, Steven knew that she was only partially kidding. "He was a force for good," he agreed. "At least he tried to be. But he found out that, with certain people, the line between good and evil sometimes became blurred."

He was sweet. He was clearly dancing around the subject for her benefit. She might as well get it on the table. "You're talking about my employer," she said with a smile. "Admit it."

"Okay," Steven admitted. "I'm not trying to start anything. But I think your employer is about as useful as tits on a boar hog. Sometimes the CIA did blatantly evil things because they thought the end result would be good. And that made Orion a target of the forces of evil. And more important, it made his family that same target. Please don't ask me to be Orion again. It would eventually make you a target. I can't risk that."

"We'll see," Joan said, much like a cat would talk to the mouse that she had cornered. She was fully feeling her oats. She knew full well that if she honestly asked him, he'd do anything. Becoming Orion again was the very least of what he would be willing to do for her. And she knew that so surely because she knew that she would also do absolutely anything for him. She also knew that this was the smartest person she had ever known by an almost indescribable margin. He probably had a bag full of magic technology growing dust someplace in this very room… and she was suddenly dying to play with it. So she leaned over and made sure that her chest rubbed across his. They both knew that was her secret weapon. "What would his price be to give a tour of this magic to an excited disciple? You know him pretty well. Would he accept sex as payment?"

Of course Steven knew that she was teasing. "Maybe," he said. "But here's the deal. He's a pretty tough negotiator. He might want to see a sexy striptease. You'd be out of luck, being already naked. You want to see magic. He would probably insist that the sex be magical."

"Don't worry," Joan said with a silly grin.

"It will be."

x-x-x-x-x

Chuck led Bowles out of her office as quickly as he could without drawing any attention. They walked out to the parking lot and into a running car.

As soon as Bowles got in the back seat, she looked at the driver. "Hello, Laura," she said with as much smile as the situation would allow. "It's nice to see you again. You're looking lovely… as usual."

"Thank you, ma'am," Laura said, stopping Chuck's smirk with a look. "That's nice of you to say. I'm not feeling all that lovely right now. I'm afraid we have something of a situation."

Bowles turned to Chuck. "What's going on?" she asked rather pointedly.

Chuck sighed. "I apologize for all of the drama, ma'am," he said. "But I'm afraid it was required. We had to race across country to get here in time. We just barely made it ahead of them."

"Get here in time for what?" Bowles asked even more pointedly. "Ahead of who? Tell me what's going on."

"Yes, ma'am," Chuck said. "Let me start at the beginning. We were interrogating Agent Walker. She was actually able to hold out for a long while. But she finally cracked. Her assignment was more involved than we feared. She was able to compromise Peter West and identify several Elders. West was killed."

"My God," Bowles whispered in shock. "How many Elders?"

"I'm afraid that you're the last one," Chuck said. "All of the others are already in custody. Clearly they were able to obtain some key personnel information from them. They've been picking up our agents all across the country. Laura and I may possibly be the only two Fulcrum Agents left free. If we're right, they are on their way to capture you as we speak."

Indeed, as they watched, about ten police cars pulled up and the building was surrounded by cops. A plain car also pulled up and Josh and Joey got out.

"Those are the agents in charge of your capture, ma'am," Laura said. "We got here just in time."

Bowles slumped in her seat. "Fulcrum is finished," she whispered in shock.

"Yes, ma'am," Chuck said sadly. He reached over and grabbed her hand in a show of comfort. "As it existed anyway. But rest assured, Agent Carter and I are totally dedicated to making sure that you're safe. Nothing is going to happen to you while we're alive. We'll have to go off the grid."

"Where?"

"We have a safe house in Los Angeles," Chuck said. "We don't think that the CIA knows about it. Agent Walker didn't anyway. You're not safe anywhere in the Washington area."

"We really should get moving, ma'am," Laura said softly. "This is a dangerous place for you. Do we have your permission to proceed?"

Bowles knew that the situation was grim. These agents needed to be free to do what needed to be done without worrying about decorum. There would be time later to become their leader and try to salvage whatever was possible from this mess. But for right now they needed to concentrate on doing their jobs. "Proceed," she said after a moment. "Understand something. You're the professionals. So until the situation becomes less fluid, I'm not in charge. You are. Call me Jenny. Do whatever it takes to get us out of this."

Since the parking lot was outside of the perimeter that the police had set up, it was easy for Laura to simply drive off. "Okay, Jenny," she said with a smile. "I'm afraid that I don't have a nickname. Laura will have to do."

"My friends call me Chuck," Chuck said.

"Okay, Chuck," Bowles said with a little more smile. "How are we going to get to L.A."

"The only safe way is to drive," Chuck said. "It's going to take two days. Laura and I will drive in shifts."

"Well, folks," Bowles said. "There is no way to call this an ideal situation. But it is what it is. We might as well make the most of it. It looks like we're going to have ourselves an adventure. Maybe we'll get a chance to get to know each other better."

Bowles caught the uncomfortable look that the two agents exchanged through the rear view mirror. That made her smile grow even broader. "Don't tell me," she said. "You two are a couple."

Laura turned to briefly face her. "It happened when we were interrogating Walker," she admitted. "I'm embarrassed. It's unprofessional."

"Don't be," Bowles said, now with a full grin. "You two make a cute couple. Tell me about Agent Walker. Is she…"

"Very dead," Chuck said with a grin of his own. "She was a fighter. I'll give her that. She resisted the drug for as long as she could. But ultimately she fell. She was a tigress in bed. There are some things that she is simply the best at."

Chuck laughed at the daggers that Laura was shooting at him though the mirror. So he reached up and grabbed her shoulder. "Come on. You know that I'm just teasing," he said. "You're the best."

Bowles slapped him playfully. "Wow, Chuck," she said. "Are you really this clueless? No woman wants to be teased by her guy about another woman. It might just drive her into the arms of another… person. Am I right, Laura?"

"You're very right," Laura said as she finally smiled. "Don't worry. I intend to fully pay him back."

Bowles just sat and allowed Laura to drive for a long while. "We need to find Bryce Larkin," she finally sighed, far more to herself than anybody.

"Bryce Larkin?" Chuck asked as he sat up. "The Intersect?"

"I see you've heard of him," Bowles said.

Chuck fought the impulse to flash the I-told-you-so smile through the mirror. Even he didn't expect her to grab for that bait quite so quickly. Maybe this would be easy. "I've more than heard of him," he replied. "I know where he is. Walker gave him up. As it turns out they used to be something of a hot item. Then she met this new guy."

Laura grinned at Chuck in the mirror. He knew that Sarah was listening. But maybe he deserved to gloat a little. After all, he was clearly a genius. "Her new guy," she said. "He must have been somewhat insecure. Larkin with the Intersect? He must have been one fantastic fuck."

Chuck grinned back. "Actually the way she told it, not so much," he said. "It seems that Larkin couldn't compete in the sack with this new guy. Something about a short fuse. Premature… well, you get the idea. Walker said that the new guy was the best she ever imagined, that all she could think about was getting him in the sack. Anyway poor dude. He finally hooks up with such a babe and now this has to happen. He probably misses her."

Bowles listened to the playful banter for a minute. "Wait," she said. "Did you say that you know where he is?"

"Yup," Chuck said. "He's actually in L.A. Do you want to meet him? That could probably be arranged."

"Do I want to meet him?" Bowles asked incredulously. "Very much so."

"He is our ticket out of this mess."

x-x-x-x-x

Casey and Sarah were in the van driving down the freeway about five miles behind the car with Chuck and Laura. They wanted to stay in a range where they could listen to the wire, yet not be seen. And frankly five miles was approaching the limit for the former.

"Damn," Casey said. "That Laura has a lead foot. I'm having a hard time keeping up."

Sarah was still laughing at Chuck so clearly teasing her, knowing full well that she was listening to his wire. "They make a very good team," she said.

"Just don't say a good couple," Casey said with a smirk. "I know that's what you're thinking."

"What?" Sarah protested. "They pulled that off perfectly. She bought their act hook, line, and sinker. She's actually grateful to them. She'll use them to collect Bryce and use him to go running to Volkoff to save her hide. Tell me that my new husband isn't a genius. Besides, it was your idea to make them a couple."

"Hey," Casey growled. "It's keeping Bowles from trying to fuck one or both of them, isn't it?" He turned to Sarah with a sarcastic grin. "You're welcome."

Sarah did a serious double take. As much as she loved being with Chuck full time, and as much fun as they had on The Enforcer the past couple of days, she had to admit, she also missed this playful repartee with Casey. Anybody who didn't know them well would listen to the way they spoke to each other and conclude that they really didn't care for each other much… and they would have been dead wrong. "I'm welcome?" she asked incredulously. "You're not fooling me at all. You don't want her fucking Laura any more than I want her to fuck Chuck. When are you going to give it up and admit that? It's pretty obvious that she's more to you than just the next 'spy on a mission' hookup."

Casey didn't answer. "It was a good idea calling in a bomb threat on the building," he said, clearly to change the subject. "It got a ton of cops to surround the place, made it look convincing without calling Beckman for help."

Sarah knew that he was changing the subject. Casey would rather eat broken glass than give her a compliment. But she decided it would be better to let this one slide. If he wanted to talk about his lady feelings, well there wouldn't be any stopping him. "Thanks," she said. "Josh and Joey did a good job."

"Sure," Casey said with the sarcasm dripping from his voice. "They got out of the car and looked in charge. Ellie and Morgan could have done it. Is that what we're down to? Perfectionist Sarah Walker hands out praise to a rookie for not stumbling getting out of the car? She looks to you as a mentor. Going all soft is going to get her killed."

Sarah grinned. "We've had this conversation so many times that I've lost track," she said. "My name is Sarah Bartowski. Chuck was right a minute ago. Agent Walker is dead. May she rest in peace. And you're wrong about Joey. She gets it. She understands that there is a time to be bad ass and a time to be human. Did you see her take out those three men on the dock? I couldn't have done it any faster. I'm proud of her. I'm glad that I've gotten to her before the life changes her. Before it changes her into…"

"Into me," Casey growled. "Admit that was what you were going to say."

Sarah's eyes flashed. "I will not admit it," she protested with a grin. "I was going to say into someone who is too hardened and chicken shit to admit that they love someone. I'm not responsible for whatever inferences you might draw from that, am I?"

Casey sat silent for a long, long time. "How do you know when you're in love?" he finally asked softly.

Sarah was frankly surprised by the vulnerability in his voice. She was mostly just teasing him. But if he was looking for someone who had made the transition from cold spy to someone head over heels, he had come to the right place. Still she was very careful in how she answered. "I don't know how to explain it," she finally replied. "It can make you hurt worse than you've ever hurt in your whole life. It can make you wish you'd never been born. But it can also make you feel like you can flap your arms and fly. It's that intense. When you're in love, you won't need any help to figure it out. You'll just know."

"I'm not sure how she feels," Casey said, even more softly.

"That makes it unanimous," Sarah said. "She doesn't either. She's confused. She's feeling things that she knows she shouldn't. It was easy with Seth. He was just a fuck buddy. She wants more. But can she change from what she is into what you want? That's the question she has to answer."

That got a stronger response. "Into what I want?" he asked. "I don't want her to change."

"Of course you do," Sarah said. "You maybe don't realize it yet. But you're eventually going to take a dim view of her fucking other men on missions. Trust me on this one."

"Do I have that right?" Casey asked.

"Of course not," Sarah said. "Nobody does. That's something she would have to give you. If you want that, ask her for it. That's something that would actually make her happy. Part of her conflict is her fear of not knowing what you want."

"Would she give it to me?"

Sarah sighed. "I don't know, Casey," she finally said. "Maybe. She'd like to. There is only one way to find out. Would you be willing to give that same sort of thing to her?"

Casey didn't answer the question. He simply shook his head as he remembered a similar situation in the Orange Orange that had happened literally just a handful of days ago, but now seemed like ten years. "Look at me," he sighed as he threw her own words back at her. "I'm actually taking relationship advice… from you."

That got them both laughing. "Actually, you could do worse," Sarah said when she could finally speak. "I'm surprising myself. I always get nervous when we're in one of Chuck's plans. But this time, I'm pretty calm. This isn't one of his wild ideas where he has to predict what people will do multiple moves in advance. This one seems pretty easy."

"What could possibly go wrong?"

x-x-x-x-x

Mary Bartowski was actually driving on the same freeway. She was somewhere between the car with Bowles and the van with Sarah which she didn't know about… congratulating herself. Was she just lucky? Or was she truly that good? Whichever, planting that bug in Bowles purse was paying dividends beyond belief.

The only bad news was that she was looking forward to telling poor Jenny the sad news about the death of her beloved Fulcrum herself. It would have been fun to see the devastated look at her face.

Well, that wasn't the only bad news. She tried to stay away from L.A. as much as possible. Too many bad memories lived there. Whenever she found herself wondering what Ellie and Chuck had made of their lives, she forced herself to block it right back out again. She had made her decision almost twenty years ago, she didn't regret it, would do it all over again, and had zero guilt. The only way to do that was to block their memory out of her mind. But still, she was smart enough to know that those memories would haunt her if she allowed them.

There was something about the Fulcrum Agent's voice that bothered her. It was hauntingly familiar. But she couldn't quite place it. Maybe they had crossed paths before. Hopefully it wasn't someone she liked. After all, he wasn't likely to survive.

But there was also this fact. Alexi would be so happy when she delivered the Intersect to him. Especially without having to depend on that Bowles bitch. It was going to be so much fun to watch her crawl and beg for forgiveness. And if she knew her Alexi… and she was sure that she did, it would happen… literally.

Mary picked up the phone. "Hi," she said. "It's me."

"I have good news. It looks like Mr. Larkin has been found."

"Of course. Alexi, you know that you can always count on me. I need some men in L.A. by tomorrow."

x-x-x-x-x

It was a little after midnight when they crossed the Mississippi River. Distance wise it wasn't all that close to half way. But it still was an important psychological point. Bowles was sitting in the front seat with Chuck while Laura was in the back seat sleeping. "She's really quite beautiful," she said was she sat watching her sleep. "You're very lucky."

Naturally Chuck was using this quiet time to think about Sarah. He really hoped she was listening. Even more, he hoped that this mission would end quickly. "Jenny," he said. "You're right. You actually have no idea how lucky I am."

Bowles sat quietly for a moment. "Thank you for rescuing me," she said softly. "That was very brave. I won't forget it."

"It was our duty," Chuck said. "No thanks are necessary. The CIA hasn't won yet."

"I like the way you say CIA," Bowles said with a smile. "You can really feel the loathing in your words."

"Again, Jenny," Chuck said. "You have no idea how right you are."

Bowles laughed a little, and then looked at him a little more closely. "You look really tired," she said. "Do you want me to drive for a while?"

"I'm fine," Chuck insisted. "It's just that I have this stupid headache. I haven't been able to shake it for two days now."

"And it seems to be getting worse."

x-x-x-x-x


	44. Help Me

_I still don't own Chuck._

_Um, yeah. Fair warning, this chapter is a little grim for our heroes all the way around. But it is also necessary. If evil didn't win every once in a while, victory wouldn't be as sweet. Happier days are coming, but today is not happy. Chuck's plan was good. It could have worked. It just didn't._

_There is also a rather explicit nonconsensual sex scene that might be a little disturbing to some._

_The show danced around the idea that Chuck was the only person who could effectively handle the Intersect. Of course they weren't consistent with that. They allowed Shaw to sit in prison for two years, without removing the Intersect, with no governor, and no visible harm. Makes zero sense, right? So I'm going to conclude that anybody but Chuck would have serious issues._

_If you enjoyed this or any of the stories on this site, please take a second and send the author a review. It only takes a second – and it really, really makes a difference. That's probably more important than ever now that the series has ended. If you want to keep the Chuck fandom alive and continue to read about these characters, you really need to think about rewarding the people whose hard work make that possible._

**Help Me**

x-x-x-x-x

Sarah had never been so exhausted in her whole life. But they were finally in Los Angeles after driving for two whole days. She listened on the wire as Chuck and Laura took Bowles to the apartment they had set up. Fortunately they were all as tired as she was and quickly collapsed into bed.

Now it was time for the part that she dreaded. Casey went with her to the motel room to check on Bryce. Following the plan, he had uploaded the Intersect this afternoon. The very last thing that Sarah wanted right now was to see Bryce Larkin, in any capacity, but especially as an Intersect. But it couldn't be helped. Chuck was in harm's way. For his plan to work, Bryce had to be realistic bait. Volkoff would certainly make sure he was really getting an Intersect before giving up any nuclear weapons.

It had already been a long night. And being here confirmed Sarah's worst fears. She realized that the Intersect had made Bryce a different person the very second she saw him. It caused the knot that was already there worrying about Chuck to tighten even a little more.

"I don't like this," Casey growled. "This wasn't part of the plan."

The dismissive tone of Bryce's voice was impossible to miss. "Tough luck," he replied. "I'm the Intersect now. We play by my rules. When I want your opinion, I'll ask for it. If I want to go out for a drink, who the fuck are you to tell me that I can't? Besides, I didn't even invite you. Do I go along on your dates? Have you ever heard the expression third wheel?"

Sarah did a double take. They tried hard to get him to stay in his room for the night but that proved futile. So it made some sense to keep an eye on him. Who knew what trouble he could get in with his mental current state? They were trying hard not to provoke him, but Sarah was also not willing to do anything she would later have to explain to Chuck. Casey clearly understood the situation and tried to always stay between them. Bryce kept trying to get her to dance with him. He even got more and more insistent as the night went on. In fact, he had gotten downright crude with the suggestive innuendo and the overtly checking her out with that smug gleam in his eye.

"Bryce," she said, making no effort to keep the disgust out of her voice. "If you believe that was a date, then you also believe in the Easter Bunny. I'm an incredibly happily married woman. I don't go on dates. My partner and I were keeping you in our sight, nothing more. We have a critical mission tomorrow."

If that was intended to send a message, it failed miserably. Or at least it didn't send the intended message. "Good," Bryce said. "You're a lousy date anyway, always were. All you ever wanted to do was dance, and tonight you wouldn't even do that. You're really only good for one thing. Let's get this over with and go to bed. That way you can keep me in your sight all night." He turned to Casey. "Sorry, big guy. We won't be needing you. She's the only one with any experience fucking an Intersect."

Sarah caught Casey's eye. The look of concern they shared was plain. This wasn't Bryce. Okay, so it was a tense situation. It had been a tough month. He was clearly jealous of Chuck. And that was making him act like a major tool lately. But he was also a professional, a hero, a basically good guy. She tried to appeal to him. "Bryce," she said pleadingly. "I don't have the time or energy to play these games right now. We've driven for two days straight. I'm worried sick about Chuck. Please, let's just get some sleep. We can talk about the plan tomorrow." It was funny. Chuck had the same exact Intersect in his head that had just clearly driven Bryce insane. But she didn't even fear it. She knew her Chuck. He could never act like this. People always underestimated her guy, but he was strong inside. He was stronger than this.

Bryce ignored her. He grabbed her arm rather roughly. "Come on," he said. "I'm doing something for you. It's only fair that you do something for me. We can talk in bed. On second thought, I'll do all of the talking. With what I have in mind, you're going to have your mouth full."

Naturally the instant Casey saw Bryce touch Sarah he immediately jumped to her defense. Under normal circumstances Sarah would have maybe enjoyed watching a fight between Casey and Bryce. It would have been interesting. Casey was much bigger, stronger and could take a ton of punishment with seemingly no effect. On the other hand Bryce was quicker and had more defensive moves. But this wasn't a normal circumstance. Against the Intersect, Casey had no chance. Before Sarah could even make a move to help, Bryce had unleashed two vicious punches that came so quickly Casey didn't even see them coming. He was suddenly on the floor in an unconscious heap.

Bryce turned to Sarah. "He was starting to bore me anyway," he said. "Let's get started, shall we? Strip for me… slowly."

"Fuck you," Sarah said dismissively. "I didn't even do that when we were together. You're delusional if you think I'm stripping for you now."

Bryce grinned at her. "I see how it is," he said. "I've always suspected that you have a rape fantasy. That's really fine with me. Now I'm actually in a position to accommodate you."

Sarah knew that under normal circumstances she could easily defend herself against Bryce. Ironically in a fight between them, it would be Bryce who was bigger and stronger and Sarah who was quicker and had many more defensive moves. It might be a battle, but she could take him. Then again, this wasn't normal. Sarah tried her best to at least deliver enough punishment to talk him out of doing anything crazy. But again, against the Intersect, she really didn't have a chance. Every punch, every kick, every twist or move she tried, he was there waiting for her with a stinging slap. She was taking substantial punishment and never got close to landing anything herself.

Once she realized that she was hopelessly overmatched, she pulled out her gun. Bryce simply grinned as he snatched the gun out of her hand before she could get it close to a position to fire and tossed it to the side. That was when she looked to escape, maybe call Beckman and get some help. But the Intersect was making that impossible. In fact he was slowly forcing her farther into the room to protect herself as much as possible. Finally he had maneuvered them so that they were in the bedroom. She was running out of room to retreat. She was getting close to being pinned against the bed.

Bryce was taking his time. He was clearly not interested in trying to finish her. He could have done that quickly, just like he had Casey. She didn't even see most of the slaps coming. He was obviously toying with her, enjoying delivering just enough punishment to prove to her who was firmly in control. "Well?" he asked with a grin. "Are you ready to strip for me? Chuck will understand. You really don't have a choice. Or do I have to do it for you?"

Sarah didn't answer. She just threw another kick. Bryce grinned as he sidestepped it and slapped her again. Sarah was close to panic. He was far too quick for her. In fact it was almost like he had superpowers. She didn't see him unbutton a single button, yet she suddenly realized that her shirt was missing. She was far to busy trying to defend herself against his stinging slaps to worry too much about the fact that he was now holding it in his hand, holding it up for her to see, grinning as he mocked her with it. She was really starting to feel the effects of the punishment she was absorbing and could feel herself noticeably slowing down.

Bryce paused for a moment to grin evilly. "Now that's what I'm talking about," he said. "Let's keep going, shall we?"

Sarah wondered what he was talking about until she suddenly realized that she was topless. She never felt him take it off but he was again mocking her by twirling her bra on his forefinger and then tossing it across the room. She realized that she couldn't do much to stop him. So she tried to go defensive. But against the intersect, even that was futile. Through her half daze she realized in horror that he had taken out his handcuffs.

Bryce was clearly enjoying himself. Once he had the cuff on her right wrist, it was easy to use it as leverage to pull her arm behind her back. He intentionally used the pain in her arm to control her movements, pushing her onto the bed and quickly overpowering her enough to cuff her hands over her head and fasten them to the headboard. He completely immobilized her by sitting on her stomach and spent a long moment playing with her breasts, teasing one nipple and then moving to the other. "This is nice," he said as he watched her helplessly lay there, her perfect breast rising and falling under his roughly groping hand as she panted for breath trying to shake the cobwebs from her head. "How's your rape fantasy going so far? It didn't have to be this way. It still doesn't. All I want is what you owe me. Are you ready to give it to me?"

Sarah desperately tried to thrash out of his grip. But with her arms secured and him sitting on her, was completely controlled. She had no choice but to allow him to continue to grope her. "Fuck you," she spat. "You're not getting anything from me willingly."

"Fair enough," Bryce said with a laugh. "We can do this your way. Although I do admit, I'm really enjoying this. The thought of giving you your rape fantasy honestly has crossed my mind a time or two while we were together. I can't say that I'm happy about how crude your language has gotten lately. Is that the same mouth you use to kiss Chuck?"

If Sarah hadn't been before, without being able to use her hands she was now almost totally helpless. All she could do was lay there watching in horror as he got up off of her and undressed. She tried to throw some kicks at him while he removed her pants but it was hopeless. He just laughed at her as he slid his hand down her stomach and into her panties. "Please, Bryce," she groaned. "Please don't do this. If you do, it makes us mortal enemies. You don't want that, do you? Let's talk about this."

"I don't mind so much," Bryce said with a grin as he removed his hand and make a big show out of sliding her panties slowly down her legs and onto the floor. "I'm done talking. I'm the Intersect. What are you going to do about it?"

Clearly the question was rhetorical. "I'm afraid that the nature of our relationship has changed," he continued. "You're no longer in charge, I am. You're going to pay for the long months of constantly teasing me. Maybe now the next time I ask you to strip for me, you'll remember how today went and just do it. We'll talk about some of the other things I've always wanted from you in between rounds. You're eventually going to enjoy submitting to me."

Sarah tried with every bit of strength she had left to keep her knees together. But she was hurting and no match for the power the Intersect was giving him. He was clearly toying with her, keeping the unrelenting pressure pushing them apart, yet going slowly just to prove that she couldn't stop him.

"Bryce, please," Sarah pleaded once she was too exhausted to fight anymore and simply allowed him to push her knees far apart and then to lift into the air. "Don't do this. But if you're going to, at least use a condom. We're trying to start a family."

That got Bryce's grin to grow even broader. "It'll be interesting to see who your baby looks like, huh?" he goaded her. "Imagine nine months of wondering. I'd root for me if I was you. Either way, it'll have an Intersect heritage."

"Bryce," Sarah cried. "Please."

"I'll tell you what," Bryce said with a leer. "Beg me to fuck you. Convince me that you want it and I'll use a condom. It'll be fun to imagine you explaining those little details to Chuck."

"Fuck you!" Sarah screamed as she tried one last desperate kick with whatever little strength was left in her now rubbery legs. "I'll never give you the satisfaction."

"Your call."

Finally, she could feel him enter her. He was clearly going slowly to taunt her. "Don't worry," he said with the first slow thrust. "You're acting like this is the first time this has happened. I'll bet that for all of your faux protest, you will ultimately enjoy this more than I will. You always wanted to move to the next level. Well, we're finally here."

Sarah looked at the smug look on his face. It infuriated her. He was really starting to pick up the pace. All she could think about was how to break the news to Chuck about this. It would devastate him. The guilt was overwhelming, so much so that she could barely feel his powerful Intersect driven thrusts pounding deep inside of her. This was all her fault. She should have never put herself in this position. It was one of those stupid insensitive things that she always seemed to be doing to him.

"We're finally here," he repeated.

Suddenly Sarah was aware that Casey was shaking her shoulder. When she finally was able to wake up enough to realize that she was still in the van… and it was just a bad dream. She saw that they were parked outside a motel. "Sarah, we're finally here," he repeated for the third time. "Come on sleepyhead. It's time to go to work."

Sarah took a long moment to calm herself. She didn't want to sound frightened in front of Casey so she willed her breathing back to normal and clasped her hands together to stop them from shaking. "I really don't want to see him," she said. "Would you please go yourself? I'll monitor from outside in case something happens."

She obviously wasn't fooling him. But he pretended not to notice the fear in her eyes as he opened the car door. "No problem," he said. "I don't blame you."

"I never liked him."

x-x-x-x-x

When Bryce opened the door, he immediately looked for her. He had only been an Intersect for a few hours but the knowledge that came with it had already changed his life. "Where's Sarah?" he asked.

"She's waiting in the car," Casey said.

"Why?"

"I don't know, genius," Casey replied sarcastically. "Maybe she is taking the fact that you ordered her gang raped a little personally."

"That's not it," Bryce insisted. "Yes, she was pissed. But she knows that I was following orders. You would have done the same thing."

"Don't be so sure," Casey replied. "Maybe that was true once. I don't think so now. I like myself better. Are we ready for tomorrow?"

Bryce ignored the question. "Tell me the real reason," he said softly but firmly.

"She's afraid of you, dumb ass," Casey finally blurted out angrily. "Have you ever considered that? It's quite a concept. Agent Walker is pretty fearless. But she doesn't have a clue what you're currently capable of. It'd be a shame to have to shoot you."

The realization that he was right hit Bryce between the eyes. Suddenly he understood. She was afraid on several levels. She was probably tired of explaining to her husband why her ex was always so prevalent in her life. But she was also physically afraid. He was the Intersect. She would no longer be able to defend herself against him.

"I need to talk to her," Bryce said sadly. "I need to let her know that she doesn't have to be afraid of me."

"I would never hurt her."

x-x-x-x-x

The instant that Sarah stepped warily into the room, Bryce could see that Casey was right. He maybe didn't know her as well as he once thought. But he certainly could tell when she was unnerved. It was plain in her eyes. She wouldn't even look at him. So he made sure to not try and approach her, keeping the table between them. "Thank you for coming in," he said.

"Casey said that you wanted to talk," Sarah said. She made sure that she didn't appear friendly in any way. But he probably did deserve to tell his side once without getting punched or kicked. But she also didn't try to hide the fact that her hand was on her gun. "Okay, talk. You've probably already realized that we are no longer friends."

"I know," Bryce said sadly. "That's completely my fault. I've been acting like a douche. I get that now. I… I… Sarah, I'm sorry. You don't have to be afraid of me. I would never hurt you. You're married. I also get that now. I don't want to lose you and Chuck from my life. Is there anything I can do to get back to being your friend?"

Sarah did a double take. Bryce always had a confident, some would say annoyingly smug, persona. She had maybe seen him sad sometimes, after all, they had been in some incredibly sad situations. But she had never seen him this contrite before. Assuming he was being genuine and not simply using another tactic in his ridiculous quest to get her naked, that was a good sign. It was something that he would need to prove to her over time.

"Understand something," she said. "You alone dug this hole with us. You're the one who on your own has to climb out of it. Bryce, I admire you as a spy. I appreciate your role on this mission. I can even get along with you… when you're not acting like a child. But I would never consider calling someone a friend who my husband can't stand. I love him, Bryce. He is all that's important to me. So here is as plainly as I can say it. I'm tired of hurting him. I'm absolutely done being insensitive to his needs. The last thing that he deserves is the worry of someone who should be his friend plotting to get his wife in bed, no matter how far fetched and pathetic the idea is. That is so far beyond acceptable conduct that I'm stunned that it even needs to be said. If Chuck is better off knowing that I don't give a flying fuck if you live or die, that's exactly what he's going to get from me. So getting me to forgive you has to start with getting Chuck to forgive you. Good luck with that one." Sarah met his eye for the first time.

"He's pretty pissed at you."

x-x-x-x-x

For the second time in a few days, Laura found herself sleeping in the same bed with Chuck Bartowski. Well, at least he was sleeping. She was mostly just watching him sleep. Who could have possibly predicted that a month ago? It had been Casey's idea. If Bowles thought that Chuck and Laura were a committed couple, she might lay off them. And fortunately, it seemed to be working, for now anyway.

Besides, they were all so bone tired that it really didn't matter who she was sleeping with. Anything other than rest was simply out of the question, even had she been so inclined. And she wasn't… at all. It was an odd feeling. Laura had never met anyone like Chuck before. She now loved him. Even though that was a dangerous thing for a spy, the one thing that you were never to allow to happen, she knew that she did. She loved him every bit as much as she did Sarah. If there had been any question at all, it was put to rest on the ship.

And she had the agent's pretty open view of sex in general. She was pretty sure she could talk herself into willingly fuck almost anyone under the right circumstance. And she had honestly never worked with an undercover partner before who could lie there in bed with her without reaching over and copping a feel at some point in the night. The excuses they could come up with were nothing if not entertaining. And Laura had to admit, she was pretty much always very willing, more often than not she would be lying there hoping he'd hurry up already. Sometimes she would even grow impatient and make the first move herself. That would almost always quickly lead to some pretty hot sex. But she absolutely knew that Chuck would never, ever, under any circumstance try and cop that feel. He had already proved that. It felt a little odd, a man who wanted something from her other than sex, especially friendship. But also honestly felt wonderful.

_It must be what it is like to have a brother._ That's exactly what it felt like. And even though she knew he was the Intersect, and in every physical spy way far superior to her, Laura felt very protective of him, would gladly throw herself in front of any threat to protect him. She now understood why Sarah was always so frantic. And truth be told, they were both worried sick about his headache. Laura found it hard to believe it didn't have something to do with the Intersect. And it was clearly getting worse. As soon as this assignment was over, they would have to get him some help. She was so wrapped in her thoughts that she missed the fact that his eyes were open until he spoke.

"Morning," he said tiredly. "How did you sleep?"

Laura ignored the question. "How's your headache?" she asked.

"Worse," Chuck sighed. "It's really starting to become an issue."

"Chuck," Laura said gently. "You're really starting to worry me. I can handle this morning. Why don't you stay here and rest?"

Chuck could clearly hear the concern in her voice. It was plainly more than the concern for a partner on a mission. It made him smile in spite of the throbbing in his head. "I'm okay," he insisted. "That won't work with the plan. Besides, we need to get this over with."

x-x-x-x-x

Finally, at long last, the governor was complete. Steven was on the edge of being annoying with his final tinkering. "Tell me exactly why the damn watch has to keep accurate time," Joan demanded. It was the first time she could remember being cross with him. And she instantly knew why. She simply hated seeing that disappointed look on his face. "I'm sorry," she said sheepishly as she grabbed his arm. "I guess I'm more tired than I thought. That's no excuse for snapping at you. I'm really sorry."

"You don't need an excuse," Steven said as his face broke out into a huge grin. "We've been working non stop on this for a week. Besides, did I tell you how sexy you are when you're annoyed?"

Joan instantly could no longer remember why she was annoyed in the first place. "Sweet talker," she said with a grin. "If you think that sex can fix everything with me… well that's where you're exactly right."

That got them both laughing. "Good to know," he said. "What did you find out?"

"He is in L.A.," she said. "He is on some super secret mission. That's all she would tell me."

"You didn't tell her about the governor," Steven asked in alarm.

If Joan was offended, it didn't matter compared to how cute he was. "Of course not," she said. "Like I would tell Diane Beckman about the governor. She'd have agents knocking on the door demanding it faster than we could get dressed. I told her that I wanted to talk to him about the extraction process."

"We'd better get out there," Steven said. "When he starts to degrade, it's going to happen quickly. And it apparently takes us a week to get dressed."

Joan paused for a long moment trying to figure out how to start this conversation. "How well do you know your son?" she asked as gently as she could. "Do you know that he just got married?"

Steven's face lit up. "Chuck got married?" he asked. "That's great. What do you know about her? Is she a nice girl?"

Joan didn't know how to answer. So she pushed a few keys and Sarah's picture popped up on the monitor.

"Wow," Steven said. "She's gorgeous." Then he immediately tried to cover his faux pas. "But certainly not as gorgeous as you."

That got Joan laughing. "That was a gallant effort," she said. "Really most impressive. But don't worry. I have no illusion of being competitive with the newest Mrs. Bartowski in the looks department. She is actually quite famous. I've heard all about her."

Steven looked crestfallen. "He married an agent?" he asked sadly.

"She's not AN agent," Joan said still trying to keep it light. "She's THE agent… number one on the CIA fitness duty roster. She has a list of missions longer than your… well it's pretty long. She has a couple of files that even my clearance couldn't open. She has a reputation throughout the agency as being a cold, calculating, deadly, bad ass, killing machine assassin. Her nickname is The Enforcer. She was his handler. It was her first assignment as a handler. She clearly took the handler thing a little more literally than the CIA intended. He probably enjoyed being handled as much as she did. Apparently they enjoyed it so much that they made it legal. They got married in Vegas a week ago."

"I know the type," Steven said sadly. "There is no way this is a real marriage. It's a cover."

"Wrong answer," Joan said, still teasing. "I understand that it's hard to believe. That was my initial reaction too. But Beckman says it's absolutely real. This burnt out, stone cold agent fell head over heels in love with your son. Beckman says she acts like a doe eyed, lovesick schoolgirl. She says that it's hard to believe how much she's changed. They are going to retire after this final mission and start a family. That's why they want the Intersect extracted."

"I'm not convinced," Steven said. "CIA Agents are famous for being able to fool people."

Joan put her hands on her hips in faux annoyance. "Is it really so hard to believe that someone who never thought they could fall in love meets the right guy?" she asked. "I believe it. I just lived it. Besides, she wouldn't be trying to fool Beckman. She'd be trying to hide it from her. That's the last thing she'd want to hear. Her star agent was in love with her asset? The last thing an agent would want would be to have the Intersect extracted. Maybe you could turn off your healthy skepticism for ten minutes until you actually talk to her."

Steven pulled her into his lap. "You just made some pretty good arguments," he said in a teasing tone. "You must be pretty smart. You're right. It wouldn't be very fair to judge her before I've even met her. We'd better get moving."

Joan buried her head in his neck affectionately. "I have a proposition for you," she said. "After I deliver my formal apology for snapping at you earlier, against my better judgment, we'll get dressed. As a reward, both for the erotic nature of my apology and for my huge sacrifice in getting dressed, we'll fly to Vegas and get married in the first chapel we can find. Then we'll rent a car and drive to LA. Maybe we'll have time for that fancy candlelit dinner you promised me sometime during the trip. We'll find a hotel with mirrors on the ceiling, buy a moderately priced bottle of champagne, and I'll show you my quickly formed plans to entertain you on your wedding night until you're begging for mercy. I think that you might like it."

"Are you sure that you're ready?" Steven asked.

"It depends," Joan answered with the gleam in her eye unmistakable as she started kissing her way down his chest. "Ready for what? Getting on my knees and delivering a formal apology? Absolutely ready. Getting dressed? Not really that ready. I've grown somewhat accustomed to being naked with you. Getting married? Wedding night with mirrors, moderately priced champagne, and tons of wild, wild, wild sex? Hell yes I'm ready. I'm jealous of this Sarah Walker. I'm not sure if I'm ready to tell her to her face. She scares me. But I want to take away her title of the newest Mrs. Bartowski. Hopefully she lets me live."

Steven laughed as watched her work her way down his stomach. "You do realize that we have to get dressed," he said. "The airlines frown on that sort of thing."

"Maybe we could start a nudist colony."

x-x-x-x-x

Mary Bartowski learned why that Fulcrum Agent's voice sounded so familiar to her the second she saw them come out of that house. It was so stunning that it took her a long moment to process the information. Then she kicked herself for not having made the connection sooner. The agent's name was Chuck. Could that actually be her son? He was a spy? A Fulcrum Agent?

And who was that partner? She was beyond beautiful. They said they were together. Mary had been around enough to know that men and woman spies pretended to be together for cover reasons. She had also been around enough to develop a particular talent. She could read people. And the look that agent was giving her baby certainly wasn't that of a platonic partner. Did Chuck really land such a babe? Of course, he wasn't all that bad himself. Her little Chuck had turned into quite a lady killer. It made her proud.

For a second she thought about helping him. After all, he was in a bad situation. Fulcrum was finished. The CIA was rounding up their agents all over the world. It was only a matter of time before… But Mary ultimately decided that she couldn't interfere. She had stayed out of his life for twenty years. Whatever he did with it now was up to him, good or bad. But she had to admit, it was nice to see him. Too nice.

In fact, she intentionally forced those thoughts out of her head. She could maybe let him and his partner live but that's as soft as she would allow herself. She knew that if she didn't get her mind back on her own work, this wasn't going to go well. So she followed the car from a safe distance.

x-x-x-x-x

Bowles got in the car with Chuck and Laura. "How are you going to capture him?" she asked. "Doesn't the Intersect make him very powerful?"

Laura glanced at Chuck. He obviously didn't understand that she had asked a question. He was holding his head in his hands clearly in agony. So she answered the question by pointing at her chest. "We're going to distract him," she said. "Once we have the cuffs on him, even being the Intersect won't help him much. If we have to, we'll tranq him."

Naturally the plan called for Josh and Joey to be waiting outside to make sure that Bowles would wait in the car. "Shit!" Laura said as she pointed them out. "One of the other Elders they captured must have tipped them off that you would be going after the Intersect."

"What are we going to do?" Bowles asked.

"Get down," Laura said. "They don't know us. Chuck and I will go in and get Larkin. Make sure you stay out of sight."

x-x-x-x-x

Mary's spy instincts were on edge. Okay, so she had just gotten the first glimpse of her son in twenty years. That was enough to spook her. But that wasn't it. Something wasn't right here. She thought through the scenario in her mind. It made some sense for the CIA to stake out Larkin's location. After all, it made sense that Fulcrum would go after the Intersect.

What didn't make sense was why the very last two Fulcrum Agents in the world would take this much risk to protect Bowles. After all, who was she? They could just run. Nobody would ever know. They might even be able to avoid capture, at least for a while. Were they really this dedicated? It was hard to believe.

Then it happened.

The young female CIA Agent stole a quick glance at Chuck when she thought that no one was looking. Mary knew that look. There was concern written all over it. She knew him. She liked him. Maybe she even loved him.

Suddenly Mary realized. This wasn't as it seemed at all. This was a setup. They were using Bowles. But why? Then it hit her… to get to Alexi. Chuck wasn't Fulcrum at all. He was CIA. He was her enemy.

That's when Mary knew. She had to find out what they knew.

One of them would have to be convinced to talk.

x-x-x-x-x

Casey and Sarah were in the van about a mile away listening intently to all of this unfold. Since Bowles knew both of them by sight and thought they were dead, it would be far too risky to be very close.

For one of Chuck's plans, it was actually pretty simple. They would pretend to get the drop on Bryce and cuff him. All they had to do was to lead him out to the car, pretend to tranq Josh and Joey when they went to interfere and drive off. Bowles would plainly contact Volkoff as quickly as possible to complete the deal to trade Bryce for the weapons. As soon as that went down, Beckman's people would move in. If that didn't happen, Bryce would be the Intersect for a while until they could figure out where Volkoff was holding him and raid the location.

Unfortunately nobody was counting on the thirty or so men that Mary had brought with her. The instant that Laura opened Bryce's door and had him cuffed, all hell broke loose. The thirty men were more than enough to handle the five agents.

Even cuffed, Bryce with the Intersect was able to down several but eventually they got smart and simply tranqed him.

Laura did her best, and her best was very, very good. She got some serious shots in. She even made sure that several of the men had a very bad day. But ultimately she was overcome and secured.

Chuck tried to flash. But the searing pain was so bad that he could barely stand, much less fight. So after only taking care of a couple of men, he was also quickly secured.

By the time Casey and Sarah realized that this was going south and could get there, Volkoff's men had already loaded up Bryce along with their fallen comrades and were long gone. Bowles was also gone. But it was still a chaotic scene. Laura was in the room, cuffed to the table, and calling for help. Josh was cuffed but frantically screaming that they took Joey.

Naturally Sarah was just as frantically looking for Chuck. She quickly found that he was in the room with Laura.

Laura was also frantic. "He's really hurting," she called just as soon as Sarah walked in the door. "We have to get him some help right away."

Sarah could see him lying on the floor balled up into a fetal position. His hands were secured behind his back. All he could get out were two words, more of a plea than anything.

"Help me."

x-x-x-x-x


	45. Goodbye

_Let's talk for a minute. Okay, I'll do all the talking. There are some things about the Chuck fandom that I'll genuinely miss. I've gotten to know some amazing people and make friends around the world that I never would have had the opportunity without the fandom. But there is surely one thing that I won't miss. The fandom has spawned a number of people who in real life wouldn't be important or remarkable in any way, have used the show and social media to accumulate a group of borderline pathetic minions who appear to glom on to the leader because they are incapable of an original thought of their own, then use that group think to bully others in a very mean-spirited way… simply because they can. That's one good thing about the show ending. The bully's fifteen minutes of fame will end and they will go back to their unremarkable life._

_I recognized that characteristic early on. It's mainly why I stopped participating in Chuck forums where I had once been very active. I'm not sure if this is a normal group dynamic or specific to this fandom. But it certainly is annoying._

_Let's be clear. If you're reading these words, you've committed a conscious act. You had to seek out this story. Since it's rated M it's not even on the main story page. Moreover, since we're on chapter 44, you've most likely committed dozens of conscious acts. You've waded through tons of content warnings (as if being rated M isn't enough) including a fairly stern warning at the beginning of the last chapter. And now you want to claim to be surprised or offended? Really?_

_It seems painfully obvious to me that if you don't like a particular story or a particular author, it is easy to avoid them. There is nothing wrong with that. There are plenty of stories and authors that I avoid. It's easy. But that concept doesn't seem to register with the bully. So now I'm the target of the mean spirited group think. My initial reaction is simply to stop posting (not exactly true, my initial reaction is to giggle at some of the silliness). That would actually be a relief to me. After all, this is a lot of work. And it stopped being fun a while ago. But then the bully wins, right? I've never been one to give in to a bully. And the reality is I've gotten amazing support over the past few years from lots of people, tons more than I ever expected. That's truly why I've kept going._

_I've always tried to write an adult version of the 8:00 family hour show. And I agree that my stories have a different feel (almost by definition) than the show. There are tons of things that the show hinted at but could never really get into. Well, I write like I think the show would be if it was on HBO._

_People (well a certain group of people) ask ('ask' actually makes it sound like they're being polite when they are usually anything but) why I use evil men lusting after Sarah as a storyline so much. Well, the real reason is that it is a good way to introduce the tension that every story needs. It plays well with what I see as the central storyline, the Chuck and Sarah love story. It's my version of Josh Schwartz's just as omnipresent love triangle. I've always seen the love story as a tad darker than most due to Sarah's past and both of their inherent insecurities. And the show used Sarah's and the other female's sexuality many, many, many times. It was a common theme. Name me a female spy on the show who didn't use sex on a mission. Illsa did, Carina did, Forest did, I assume Mary did, Zondra we simply don't know enough about, Sarah did. There was clearly a thing called Seduction School. I just write those situations as if it was HBO and take it to a level that an 8:00 show simply can't. I've never tried to hide that. Moreover I refuse to apologize for it. I fully understand that my view isn't universal. Anyone who wouldn't be entertained by that storyline shouldn't read my stories. That's as plain as I can say it. No hard feelings. But to ignore all the warnings and then post mostly anonymous, cowardly, mean spirited, cheap shot reviews? Really? Why? What do you think that accomplishes? Just to prove how mean your righteous indignation can sound?_

_So did I intentionally write the rape scene (the one that the bully is all faux bothered by) in such a way as to make the reader think it was really ('really' in a fictional way, of course) happening? Of course I did. Fooling the reader into thinking something is happening that really isn't is my favorite writing thing. But it was basically the scene with Shaw in Santa Suit… had it been on HBO. It wasn't gratuitous. There is a point that will become clearer later in the story. And while I'll admit that the M rating probably caused me to get pretty detailed, perhaps more detailed than some are comfortable with, I did post a warning (I guess I assumed you knew what 'nonconsensual' meant), it didn't really happen (even more so than everything in my fictional story really didn't happen), it fit with the theme and tone of the story, and I am going someplace with it._

_So let me be the one to break the bad news. Sarah is fictional. She doesn't really exist. I would hope that any real person who dreams of sex with her realizes that it wouldn't go all that well or be particularly fulfilling. But likewise, getting defensive of her is just as silly (talk about secret fantasies, did I mention that she doesn't really exist?) And sorry to burst your bubble, but Sarah isn't even the type of girl I would fantasize about anyway. I've always thought of and written Sarah as Chuck's girl. If I was writing a girl for me (if that was even possible), she would be more like Elise in Prodigal Daughter._

_Let's be clear. The fictional characters are fair game, including mine. Speculate and make fun of them all you want. They don't have feelings (did I mention that they don't exist?). Real people are different. When you are talking about them and their character in disparaging ways, you are crossing a very real line, the line that defines libel. The illusion of anonymity that social media presents does not absolve you of your civil responsibilities. You should at least make some effort to be factually correct._

_So here is the deal. I'm no longer going to post on FF. It's simply too much hassle. I've created a live journal account called BillAtWork. If you want to read the The Long Road Home, or The Cost of Love, send me a friend request and I'll add you to the list._

_To the rest of you, until the next fandom._


End file.
